


This Girl’s Got Guts

by marcykinsmaki



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Angry exes, Domestic Violence, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Heavy Angst, I kinda made the Horrortale Bros and Dusttale Sans Bara whoops, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Inspired by Fanfiction, Inspired by Music, Karaoke, Kidnapping, Lots of Angst, Mentions of Murder, More AUs to come because i love my boys whoops, Multi, Music, Nightmares, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Reader Is Not Frisk (Undertale), Reader has an Anxiety Disorder, Reader is a girl so female terms, Reader is a musician, Reader is sort of a self insert sorry, Sans can't get his shit together, Sexual Tension, Soul Bond, Stalking, Unreliable Narrator, Vandalism, You don’t have to wait too long for smut, kind of a slow burn?, marcy can't write puns, mentions of cannibalism, more tags to come, reader is traumatized, romantic and platonic soul bonds, some of the characters will be slightly unaccurate i’m learning over time thanks, this story isn’t beta’d, will be long so don’t worry baes lolz, worried skeletons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:21:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 64,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marcykinsmaki/pseuds/marcykinsmaki
Summary: You’ve got it all— a great boyfriend, a close friend group who also happens to be your band, a nice house you share with them and a full ride through college on a music scholarship. It all changes with one night, now unsure where to go and falling into the lap of a familiar skeleton who you haven’t seen in a while.
Relationships: Gaster!Sans/Reader, Papyrus (Horrortale)/Reader, Papyrus (Mafiafell)/Reader, Papyrus (Swapfell)/Reader, Papyrus (Underswap)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (underfell)/reader, Sans (Horrortale)/Reader, Sans (Mafiafell)/Reader, Sans (Swapfell)/Reader, Sans (Underfell)/Reader, Sans (Underswap)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 55
Kudos: 135





	1. Unexpected Ending

**Author's Note:**

> oh my god. wow. wow. i am finally doing it. i have never written for undertale but here i am doing this for you. this is inspired by a few fics so here you go. BY THE WAY not every boy will pop up at first! they’ll come over time. sorry abt the long ass first chap btw
> 
> fics that inspired me:
> 
> A Skele-ton Of Fun by lollipopkitten93
> 
> On Top of the Bone Pile by Lyrjok
> 
> The House on Lane 66 by OolongTeacup
> 
> Skeletons in Heat by TheMsource
> 
> this is a music inspired fic, so expect it quite a lot! i love music inspired fics and i love music in general.
> 
> PLEASE BE NICE TO ME i have no previous experience in writing any of these characters and i just have to go off of what others write. thanks so much.
> 
> songs in this fic:
> 
> More Than A Band - Lemonade Mouth  
> Scotty Doesn’t Know - Lustra  
> American Kids - That Poppy
> 
> aight have fun reading and thank you so much!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're living a great life until a twist of fate knocks you on your ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! for newer readers, if a change in the normal ao3 font bothers you, please tap/click the 'hide creator's style' button, thanks so much and enjoy!

The gleaming light of the morning sun hits your eyes like a burning shot of fuck all. It's Friday, but you're tired as fuck. It's been a long ass week and you're already over it. You groan, putting a hand in front of your face. The daze of first thing in the morning makes you stuck in bed for a moment, pulling out your phone. It has absolutely _blown up_ overnight. You unlock your phone, swallowing thickly, mouth dry from the slowly oncoming Spring air. You lay there for a moment, slowly turning over and sitting upright, a few strands of wild hair falling in front of your face. You look down to your phone notifications.

**14 Missed Malls.**  
**39 Messages.**

Stars above, what the Hell happened? You dial the last number who called you, not even paying attention to the contact. It rung for a moment, only for a moment, before you're introduced to a booming voice with an overwhelming robotic flare.

"Hell-"

"Gooood Morning, Darling!~" The voice announced to the phone. Mettaton. A strained smile grows onto your face.

"Hi, Mettaton." You yawn, reaching a hand over your mouth, rubbing your eyes a bit and running your fingers through your unruly hair.

"Oh Goodness me, you sound awful, Y/N. Have you even gotten up yet?" He sighs into the phone. The voice isn't as overwhelming anymore, but it's still loud enough to be too much for.. you turn the speaker on, eyes widening. It's 8:30.

"Oh fuck, my first class is at 9! Shit, it takes me like 15 minutes, 10 if I'm lucky to get to my first class." How could you sleep past your alarm this late? You did not need this shit to start your day, much less a Friday. You scramble up, your mind half distracted by shooting yourself up to get dressed, your heart pounding into your ribcage.

"Stars, _language!_ " You can hear him roll his eyes over the phone. "Listen, I have good news, so don't get too worked up yet! I know you haven't come by in a while with your band and it's my honor to tell you that you got the gig slot for tonight!" He says this with pride. Your fishnets are half on, turning around to the phone.

"Sorry, what?" You call out, finally pulling them all the way up. You slip an oversized Falling In Reverse t-shirt on, your eyes glued on the phone as he spoke. He grunts with frustration.

"Tonight! This low-life band cancelled on me for whatever reason, and now I have tonight opened up for you! You were a hit the last time you came around and people have been asking for you and now I have a spot for you _tonight!_ " Your breath catches in your chest. It hits you like an eighteen wheeler. You haven't had luck with open bars lately, and now you have a spot reserved for your band in one of the biggest clubs in town. "Isn't that marvelous! Your other friends know already, but Stars forbid that the lead singer finds out last!" He rambles. His rambling is a habit, but you've gotten used to it.

"I know, I got up late, I'm really sorry. But thank you so much for this! I promise I'm paying attention, I just have class soon, but I promise that we'll be there early! Our own instruments and everything." You shake your head to yourself, wide eyed and distracted. Your mind is racing, and the minutes are passing by.

"Oh don't worry about that, Darling, I already have good equipment for you!~ Just be here by 7 so you can perform at 9. I'm starting you late because of the change of plans. Be on time please!" He says the last bit with a bit of seduction, which makes you laugh a bit.

"Okay, thanks you so much, Mett, you are a literal blessing." You tie the last of your shoes. You look onto your platforms, already planning an outfit and makeup in your head.

"Don't disappoint, I heard you have new stuff and I want to hear it! Tata for now, Y/N, kisses!" He hangs up quickly after that. You sigh, tying off your shoes and grabbing your phone to go to the bathroom, organizing your disheveled hair. Showering can wait after class. You sigh, your hair tossed to the side as you make your way down the stairs, your other bandmates already up and with their coffees. You check the time. 8:37 am. You turn the corner into the kitchen, crashing into someone.

"Shit, I'm really sorry, I'm-"

"Late for class, baby? Yeah, I know." You hear a chuckle above you. You look up, a smile growing on your face.

"Asher." You hum with delight. Your boyfriend of five years. The typical rocker boy who turned out to be an absolute sweetheart. His fading dyed black hair tossed to the side, holding two cups of coffee. You share a kiss, taking the one he hands to you in your black to-go coffee cup. "Thank you so much, babe."

"You're welcome. I'm assuming Mettaton already-"

"Yes, yes, he did. I'm so sorry I didn't answer him last night, I passed the Hell out early." You shake your head, taking a sip of your caffeinated fill for the morning. You look over to your other bandmates, Marceline and Jackie. Together, you make The Rebels. You exchange your good mornings, knowing you all have work or class in the mornings. Also with the early call, you need to practice before you go and perform tonight.

You took the name 'The Rebels', as cheesy as it sounds, because 1. it was easy and 2. you felt it all resonated with your in your silent and unspoken ways. You've all practiced your own instruments, vocals, and writing over time. You've all been friends for a long time. You've had members come and go, getting introduced to new friends through the grapevine and your similar love of music. Thankfully, you've had this group for almost three years now, finding your tune and getting to know each other. You guys had your arguments and disagreements, sure, but you all quickly found solutions and worked problems out. You couldn't ask for a better band, or better friends.

"It's fine, girl, just wake up earlier next time, please? I thought you had an alarm." Jackie calls over from her seat. She looks over, her deep brown eyes blinking towards you with her own cup of coffee.

"I do, I just slept through it. Promise. 've had a long ass week." You smile over to her quickly, and she smiles back.

"Okay, I gotta go, I've got work after class, too." You all nod to each other, giving a goodbye kiss to Asher and heading out of the door after grabbing your backpack and keys to your motorbike, quickly texting your manager that morning that you'll need to take a few hours off at the end of your shift because you need to get home to practice.

\--

You strut out of your shift at work, looking down to your phone. 5:30 pm. Enough time to get to your house, practice each song, get ready, maybe relax a bit, and get to Mettaton's on time so you can get everything ready there and settle your stomach of nerves holy fuck you haven't performed for a large crowd in a while. Okay. This is fine. You'll be okay. Haven't passed out on stage yet. Not yet. And it'll never happen. Nope. Totally didn't happen once. You pull into the garage, leaving enough room for your own equipment. Music was your life unlike your other 'mate's. They go to the same college for different reasons, this simply being a side hobby. You're the main writer for most of the songs, having the others help you along. You head inside, calling our your entry to the house. You walk into the living room, looking to Jackie and Asher looking a bit worked up.

"Hey, everything okay?" You look between the two.

"Yeah, sorry, Jackie just left her iron on too long and almost started a fire." Asher looks up to you, quick with a response.

"Oh, shit, babe. Just be careful, Jackie. I'm gonna hop in the shower and we can practice in a few, I won't be long." You nod to the both of them, noticing them relax out of the corner of your eye. That was odd. You feel a pull in your sternum, but you shake it off. You've felt it a few times before, but when you went to the doctor about it they said everything was okay, just watch your stress, so you're not worried about it. You race upstairs, tired as fuck but fueled by pure excitement as you shower.

After a quick shower, you change into fishnets, plain black skirt, platforms with plain white designs on them, a thin white shirt and a black corset over it. A belt is in your middle, a heart shaped buckle wrapped around your waist. A spiked pleather choker is wrapped around your neck, moon shaped earrings dangling from your lobes. Your makeup is done with a smudged smokey eye, thick black eyeliner and black lipstick. Your hair is pulled back in a half up half down, showing off the shaved sides of your hair. You smile at yourself. You feel hot, seeing someone walk up next to you.

"Hey." You smile at Asher. Dressed in a Guns n' Roses band tee, jeans, and Docs, he leans down to kiss you.

"Hey. Sorry for scaring you, we just got really nervous. Ready to go?" He wraps an arm around you.

"Yeah, in a bit, gotta get my stuff together. I'll be down in a sec." You two share another kiss, holding it for a minute before he pulls away, giving a playful bite to your lower lip, causing you to giggle.

"Alright, we're all waiting for you, Y/N."

\--

The club is absolutely _packed._ You mean, like fire hazard concerning packed. At least, that's what it feels like. You made sure to take your anxiety meds before going to the club tonight, knowing that your therapist told you you could take extra if you really needed to, but only if it was necessary. Yep, this was necessary, you thought as you looked at yourself in the dressing room mirror. Mettaton had quite a few, having enough for all of your members to have one of each of your own. You were looking yourself in the eyes, flinching as a knock to the door sounds out through your room.

"Door's open." You nod to yourself, looking to the door from the mirror.

"Hey." Asher looks to you. "We're on in a few, Mett wanted me to tell you." He approaches, closing the door behind him with his foot. He can notice your tension, sighing in relief as he grips your shoulders, gently massaging them. "Don't be so anxious, you look great and you'll do even better." He plants a kiss on your cheek.

"Thanks. I know, I just.." You sigh to yourself, looking down to your lap, your black nails clicking against each other as you mess with your hands. "We haven't performed in such a big crowd in such a long time. Last time we did this was like, last year. My anxiety has only gotten worse until then." You whined, looking back to him. He plants a kiss on your lips.

"I promise you you'll do fine. I am 1,000,000% sure." He reassures me, rubbing your back. "Come on, let's go and get some last stuff ready." He grabs your hands, helping you up. You smile, the platforms you're wearing making you almost his height. He laughs. "Damn, grew a few?" You both break into a fit of laughter, him leading you to the stage, your heart beginning to race in your chest once more. Your sternum gets the familiar pull again, and then throbs. It's never throbbed, not like this, at least. Like, a longing. A warning, maybe? You shake your head, continuing to follow your boyfriend up to the darkened stage. You see your other bandmates already up on the stage, hooking stuff up and making sure things are tuned. The big speakers aren't on yet, so they're just strumming chords and strings to make sure it sounds okay. You bring the mic up to the stand, taking a deep breath. "Remember. You got this, babe." Asher pats you on the shoulder. Mettaton swings by to make sure everything is on, everyone staying silent so nothing goes off.

" _ **Ladies and Gentlemen, Humans and Monsters, I apologize to keep you all waiting so long until my next big act! Please give a warm Ebott welcome to our next act, The Rebels!**_ "

The stage lights flare up. They're bright, and you can barely see the crowd. Your hands are undeniably shaking, but you take a deep breath. You smile, grabbing the mic. "Good evening Ebott!" You call out to the club. The crowd roars out in applause, excited for your performance. "Thanks so much for having us tonight! We've decided to start out a little soft tonight, maybe a little emotional, but we'll definitely have you rockin' out by the end." You give them an assuring nod. You look back to Marceline, one of your guitarist's, nodding. She taps her acoustic guitar three times, starting the [intro.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rXLLb-gI54)

**(You) I can't pretend to know how you feel**

**But know that I'm here, know that I'm real.**

**(Asher) Say what you want, or don't talk at all.**

**(You) I'm not gonna let you fall.**

You look to Asher, who's smiling at you as he sings. Your electric guitar is propped up behind him, ready for the next song. So is Marceline's, everyone having their own mic so we can all join along. You smile back, turning back to the crowd to sing.

**(You) Reach out for my hand, 'cause it's held out for you**

**My shoulders are small, but you can cry on them, too**

**Everything changes, but one thing is true, understand**

**We'll always be more than a band.**

**Yeah.**

**(Jackie) You used to brave the world all on your own**

**Now we won't let you go, go it alone**

**(Marceline) Be who you wanna be, always stand tall.**

**(Everyone) I'm not gonna let you fall.**

**(Everyone) Reach for my hand, 'cause it's crying for you**

**My shoulders are strong, but you can cry on them, too**

**Everything changes, but one thing is true, understand.**

**We'll always be more than a band.**

You're all looking at each other. The entire club is silent. Your heart is no longer pounding, your chest filling with air before the bridge comes quickly long the end of the chorus. 

**(You) I never knew you could take me so far.**

**I've always wanted the home that you are, the ones I need.**

**(Asher) _The ones I need._ (Marceline & Jackie) _Yeah!_**

**(Everyone) Reach for my hand, 'cause it's held out for you**

**My shoulders are strong, but you can cry on them, too**

**(Marceline) _Cry on them, too!_**

**Everything changes, but one thing is true, understand.**

**We'll always be more than a band.**

**(You) Reach out for my hand, 'cause it's held out for you**

**My shoulders are strong, but you can cry on them, too.**

**Everything changes, but one thing is true, understand.**

**We'll always be more than a band.**

Marceline strums out the final chord, all of you looking out to the crowd. They break out into cheers, Asher and you turning to each other. He nods to you, going down to reach for your guitar behind him, handing it to you. You switch places with a brief smile. Marceline unplugs her guitar, switching it out for her electric one. She is amazing on bass. The crowd quiets down, waiting for another song anxiously to play. You swing the strap of your guitar around your head, plugging it in. Asher looks back to nod to everyone, Jackie lifting her drumsticks to time the beginning of the [song.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcEkS9tcIjg)

**(Asher) Scotty doesn't know that Fiona and me do it in my van every Sunday.**

**She tells him she's in church, but he doesn't know, still she's on her knees and**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Oh, Scotty doesn't know-ow**

**So don't tell Scotty**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**(Jackie) _So don't tell Scotty!_**

**(Asher) Fiona says she's out shoppin'**

**But she's under me and I'm not stoppin'**

Asher looks to you, and you have to hold back a giggle, continuing to play the timed chords while Marceline is busy playing the main ones.

**(Asher and You) 'Cause Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**So don't tell Scotty**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**(Marceline) _So don't tell Scotty!_**

**(Asher) I can't believe he's so trustin'**

**While I'm right behind you thrustin'**

**(Marceline) _Woo!_**

Asher turns to you again, winking this time, really making you hold back. You continue, not letting yourself slip up.

**(Asher) Fiona's got him on the phone**

**And she's trying not to moan**

**It's a three way call and he knows nothing, nothing**

**(Asher and You) Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Don't tell Scotty**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**So don't tell Scotty**

**(Everyone) We'll put on a show**

**Everyone will know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**(Asher) The parkin' lot, why not?**

**It's so cool when you're on top**

**His front lawn in the snow**

**Laughin' so hard 'cause Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

Some instrumentals play out, Asher whispering into the mic causing some people to laugh.

**(Asher) I did her on his birthday.**

Asher returns to his usual singing, the upbeat song making the audience dance in their seats, even you can't help but sway your hips side to side, your skirt swaying as you see something gold glimmering in the distance and catching your eye. You brush it off, continuing with the song as Asher sings.

**(Everyone) 'Cause Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Scotty doesn't know**

**Don't tell Scotty**

**Scotty doesn't know**

The outro plays out, and the crowd goes wild once again. You can't blame them, it was a great song and everything has been going great. Asher and you switch places, Asher grabbing his own guitar and you swinging off your own. Jackie has moved to the piano, on the other side of the stage away from the drums. Everyone is getting in their places as you press your skirt flat, making sure nothing is hiking up. Your mind is brought back to the gold flash you got for a minute. It couldn't have been a phone, it was only for a second. Maybe you _were_ stressed. You don't let it get too into your mind.

"Alright, everyone. Unfortunately this is the last song of the night, but we'll be sure to come by again with some new beats." You nod. You wait patiently, the lights dimming as only one spotlight was on you. The electronic [intro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBfvF4iULyg) of the song began to play, a backtrack playing from your phone.

**(You) I live under a rock with a blacklight**

**I'm a dumb popstar in my own right**

**Started life at age 15, got head with fake ID's, if you're with me**

**Sold my soul to the man with the handshake**

**Lost control but I don't think it's too late**

**We're dying young on broadcast news, Forever 21 is cool if I make it.**

**(Marceline) _Girls, let's put on all of our clothes._**

**(You) I don't wanna be like American Kids**

**I am not on drugs and I've never been**

**I don't care about your party, I belong to nobody**

**I don't wanna be like American Kids**

**Drugs don't work like they did for my parents**

**I'm not down with the new hit**

**'Cause today I just don't get American Kids.**

You see another flash. Silver? You keep composure. This has to be a fucking prank or something. You tap your foot on the stage, keeping up with yourself.

**(You) Last time I told mom that I love you**

**Was the last time I ate food from the drive through**

**It never happened like they say**

**I think my father might be gay but I don't know.**

**So I burned all my shit in a bonfire**

**All my teen regrets were a tripwire**

**I should be everything you hate**

**I should be higher now than space but I'm static.**

**(Jackie) _Boys aren't even boys anymore._**

**(You) I don't wanna be like American Kids**

**I am not on drugs and I've never been**

**I don't care about your party, I belong to nobody**

**I don't wanna be like American Kids**

**Drugs don't work like they did for my parents**

**I'm not down with the new hit**

**'Cause today I just don't get American Kids.**

Your head sways side to side. Everyone is looking at the stage, but especially at you. You get into the mood, eyes half lidded with a sort of enchanting creepiness you're trying to go for.

**(You) Liberty isn't cheap and it ain't free**

**I'm a millennial, blame it on me.**

**American Kids**

**American Kids**

**American Kids**

The last of the audio plays, and the lights brighten. You smile out to the crowd. "Thank you so much, everyone, and a special thanks to Mettaton for getting us a spot out here during his _very_ busy schedule." You smile out to Mettaton, who's sitting out near the front. He always sat there for your performances. The crowd roars as you began to unhook your instruments, you waving out to the crowd before Asher stands next to you as you join him off of the stage. You sigh, Mettaton quickly approaching you.

"Darling, that was simply... oh my, that was amazing! Unlike anything I've ever seen, Stars, you were simply," Mettaton lifts you by the waist, boasting out as the chatter begins and the regular club music starts right behind it. ", _divine!_ I knew it was a good idea to call you in! My wires were just tingling with a feeling!" He laughs, and you laugh, too, Mettaton setting you down.

"Well thank you for letting us play! We never mind playing for you, you have an awesome place and a good crowd to go along with it." You nod. Asher wanders off to let you two have small talk, Mettaton leaning down to your ear. "Don't tell them, but someone is here. I simply couldn't keep my mouth closed, you know how I get with gossip!" He chuckles a bit. You arch an eyebrow in curiosity, but he refuses to go further. You shrug it off, continuing in small talk before you go off to your own dressing room.

You look at yourself in the vanity. You go down to your phone, going through your Instagram a bit, clicking it off as you check yourself in the mirror. You push yourself up, your feet hurting a bit from standing in the platforms. They're nice, but not for a long time. Screw you, ankles. You head out, going straight for Asher's dressing room. You don't care to knock, too tired to as you walk in.

"Ugh, my feet hurt so much, I think I-" You groan, opening your eyes to something unbelievable. It's Jackie on top of Asher's vanity, legs wrapped around his waist. They quickly look back at you. Your heart drops to your stomach, your sternum straining. It hurts so fucking bad. So much for the fucking anxiety meds. They both look flustered, Jackie's shorts already unbuttoned. You must be dreaming. You turn wordlessly, letting no words fill the empty air as you feel someone approaching behind you. 

"Babe! Wait, please-" You turn as you smack Asher with all of your rage. You're seething. You are _enraged._ Fuck pissed, fuck angry, you were astonished that he had the _audacity_.

"More than a band? Yeah, 'cause you're a fucking cheater, too." You spat in his face. You continue forward to your room, hands in fists as you slam your door closed, locking it behind you. You let yourself fall apart, your back hitting the wall next to the door. You begin to sob, your body overwhelmed with sadness. You can't handle it all. Five fucking years with this asshole, and now it's down the drain. Two members from the band, gone. Two friendships, gone. Just like that. They're out of the house as soon as possible. You'll find a smaller place with Marceline. God, fuck, your chest hurts so fucking bad. You fist at your sternum. You hear knocking on your door.

"Y/N? Please come out, babe, we need to talk." Jackie calls out to you from behind the door, muffled from the thick wood. You think about giving her the time of day, but you push it off. She doesn't deserve it. She knocks a few more times. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have. I'm so fucking sorry, Y/N. I just want to explain." You bring your hands to your ears. You push your knees closer to your chest. You continued to sob, snot and tears rolling down your cheeks. You didn't want to talk to anyone right now.

"Scotty Doesn't Know? More like Y/N Doesn't Know." You sniffle softly. She stops after that, hearing her walk away. You go back to yourself. God, fuck this. Your head was divided. Yeah, you're upset and you wished he just, you know, _didn't._ But you're also screaming at yourself 'fuck men, who cares, move on and find better dick game'. Tonight was ironic. The song choice just made so much fucking sense. A little joke between Asher and Jackie. What a sick fucking one to pull, too. If we're having inside jokes, maybe it shouldn't be about Asher's baby carrot. Could never make me cum anyway. You hear another knock.

"Darling? I heard screaming. Are you alright?" Mettaton's voice sounds off behind the door. You sniffle.

"N-no. I wish." You curl onto yourself. A moment of silence passes.

"I'll go get you some tissues, you just wait here." Mettaton's usually loud and announcer-like persona was put down for the moment. It sounded softer, more caring and understanding. Not like he ever wasn't, but it just wasn't the forefront of how he spoke usually. You wait a moment, looking down to the black carpet floor underneath you. You hear another knock shortly.

"It's Mett, sweet pea." Mettaton returns. You nod, pushing yourself up and unlocking the door, swinging it open and looking up to the tall monster. He looks down to you empathetically. "Oh, darling, come here." He opens his arms, taking you into an embrace, his metal body encasing you in a soothing colder atmosphere rather than the warm and stuffy one you used to be in. "Please don't be upset. What's bothering you?" He continued to rub your back.

"Asher. Kissing Jackie in the dressing room." You say this softly. He gasps.

"No! The _audacity_ of him, I tell you. I knew something was wrong. Would you like something to drink? I can get you water?"

"Rum and coke." You whisper. He chuckles, pulling away a bit.

"One box of tissues," He hands you the tissue box. ", and one rum and coke coming right up. Stay put and wipe those beautiful eyes." He nods, pulling away completely and heading off to the bar. You slowly close the door behind you, sighing as you place it on the vanity table. You plop yourself in the chair, looking over to your phone. It has several missed calls and texts, but you ignore them all, going immediately to Marcy's contact.

**[You]** : Only me and you now.

You wait a bit, hearing a ding follow.

**[Marcy <3]**: Heard. I'm so sorry, Y/N. Want some time to yourself?

 **[You]** : Yes. Sorry, you can head back to the house if you want. Make sure Jackie and Asher's shit is packed up and out soon. Start looking for apartments.

 **[Marcy <3]**: Of course. I love u sm. Please stay safe, I know you don't do well on your bike upset ):

You take a deep breath in, hearing a knock on the door, turning to see Mettaton slowly coming in, looking down to type a message back to Marceline.

**[You]** : I will. Promise.

You turn to Mettaton, who's holding a rum and coke. You smile, taking it. You thank him, taking it and taking a small sip of it. You sigh. It's nice. You've finally calmed down a bit. Your chest still hurts. You start scrolling through Instagram, taking a few tissues every few minutes and tossing it in the trashcan nearby. You aren't sure how much time passes, looking to the time. 10:30. It's pretty late, so you take your wallet and phone, going to push yourself up with a deep sigh. Mettaton said that someone was here, so your heart skips a beat. You can't possibly think of who, but it must be important. You put your small wallet between your cleavage, knowing no one will be able to get it. You say goodbye to Mettaton, thanking nearby people who compliment you, or ask if you're okay, reassuring them. You head for the door, sighing as the cool early March air hits your skin. You begin to walk to your bike, taking out your keys.

The wind blows harshly, for some odd reason, only for a second. You swear you see someone zoom past you, and you look around. Okay, Y/N. It's dark, late, cold, and you're alone. Nice. And there's someone stalking you, after a day of being late, running around between class and work, and finding out your boyfriend of five years is cheating on you. Even better. Another zoom past you, which causes you to back into an alley on accident. You stop, feeling someone behind you.

" **h u m a n.** " A voice speaks out to you. You don't dare turn around. " **d o n 't y o u k n o w h o w t o g r e e t a n e w p a l ? t u r n a r o u n d a n d s h a k e m y h a n d.** " It continues to speak. You squeak a little, your heart thrumming with fear and curiosity. This is nice. Now it's ominous and creepy. You slowly turn around, a blue eyelight staring into you. You gasp, a smile growing onto your face to the same boney one smiling back at you.

"Sans!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for reading, i'll update when i can!


	2. Overwhelming Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a scary encounter with Asher, you finally get to meet some of the boys while trying to shake off the jitters of avoiding your now ex boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah this chapter came kinda quickly because i am extremely impatient and i am extremely excited i need to get this all down before it leaves my brain. anyways enjoyzzz
> 
> skeleboys we'll be meeting:  
> Underfell Sans: Red  
> Underfell Papyrus: Edge  
> Underswap Sans: Blue  
> Underswap Papyrus: Stretch  
> Swapfell Papyrus: Mutt  
> Swapfell Sans: Black
> 
> trigger warnings for this chapter include panic attacks, some violence, threatening, etc. i'll tag the trigger warnings when you need them :) translations will be at the end, enjoy the new chapter
> 
> if the text font change bothers you, please tap/click the 'hide creator's style' button

You take no time to rush towards the skeleton before you, his eyelights switching back to his normal white and you're smiling up to him as he takes you into his arms, spinning you around a bit to keep you from tipping over.

"Sans! Oh my god, it's been forever!" You breathe out in relief, knowing now that it's not some serial killer. You hear him chuckle.

"yeah. sorry about that. things got complicated." He puts you down, letting you breathe. "saw you sing. you looked _sans_ -ational." You both laugh at his joke.

"I will never miss your puns. Even how _pun_ -ny they are." You both laugh again. It was cheesy, granted, but you were rusty.

"yeah. also heard about asher." He suddenly got a bit serious. You felt your chest empty a little. You nod. "mettaton's quite the chatter box. knew i was here and mentioned it."

"Yeah. It doesn't matter, I'm kicking him and Jackie out of the house anyway. Marceline and I are gonna find an apartment together. Need to find a space to move our band stuff. Need to break the contract on our rent." You nod. You feel yourself tearing up again, sniffling a little. You feel something swipe a tear away, looking up to Sans, who looks a little angrier than before. The blue from earlier returns. It sends a shiver down your spine, but ignore it. You also swear you see a spark of red. You can feel someone else here, but Sans is here to protect you so you ignore that, too. So many things happening today.

"you can stay over at my place for time being. haven't seen you in a _whale_ anyway." He tries to cheer you up, making you smile a little.

"You don't have to. I can suck it up and just stay out of his way." You shrug. He grips your chin with his phalanges, your eyes widening a little.

"i fortunately have to insist. we'll help you pack your stuff. me n' paps." He nods. You sigh, pouting. You shake your head. He nods. You shake your head back. He nods. You giggle, grunting loudly.

"Fiiiiine! But I'll pack my shit. But I'll stay in my house for tonight. I came on my bike, so I can't shortcut. I'm sure you're tired, so I'll see you.. ?"

"tomorrow. i'll be there in the morning, 9 sharp to help ya. don't want you there long with that _ash_ -hole." His eyelight winks. It makes you giggle, nodding. His eyelights return to their normal white.

"Okay. I'll see you then. Night, Sans." You place a kiss on his cheek. It was nothing more than platonic, seeing Sans blush blue a little over his cheeks.

"heh. night, kiddo." He steps back, vanishing into thin air. The other presence follows behind. You'll have to ask Sans later. He knows a lot about random magical stuff.

\--

You finally made it home the previous night. Both Jackie and Asher tried to talk to you, stupidly, but only got a death glare. They both stopped, you wishing Marceline a nice night and telling her what was going to happen tomorrow and she agrees, staying in the house alone as long as you agree to visit every now and again. You fall asleep, although horribly, not being able to sleep until 4 or 5. You wake up the next morning to a hard knocking on your door.

"Y/N! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP! WE'RE HERE TO HELP YOU!" An overbearing knocking began to sound over your door, scaring you awake, groaning. You check the time. 9:00 am, right on schedule. For them. You weren't up, in an old t shirt and your makeup cried off. The knocking returns. "Y/N!"

"Give me a second, Pap." You call out in a cheery tone, or as much as you could muster up.

"OKAY! SANS IS HERE, TOO! WE'LL BE WAITING FOR YOU DOWNSTAIRS!" He calls out again. You giggle to yourself. You've missed him a lot.

You drag yourself out of bed. You feel fine, you guess. Not horrible. You rub your eyes, feeling your mascara smear on your hand. You wipe it on your shirt, shrugging. You clean yourself up, dressing in a plain black Slipknot sweatshirt. Damn, most of your stuff was band merch. Doesn't bother you any. You throw on some slip on sneakers, hair up in a messy bun as you join the lot downstairs. Sans greets you with a smile.

"mornin' sleepin' beauty." He winks at you. You roll your eyes, going into the kitchen with a tired wave. "what, no 'good morning, sans, thanks so much for helping my lazy bones pack'?" He teases. You roll your eyes even harder, wishing they'd go into your goddamn _brain._ You can hear him snickering.

"Yeah, yeah, thank you so much for finally deciding to get out of bed." You turn to him, leaning against the counter, waiting for your roast to be ready. "I don't have anything ready yet, but we can get the necessities and come back later with the rest." You nod. You hear someone coming down the stairs, Marceline looking over the trio.

"AH! ANOTHER HUMAN!" Papyrus walks over to Marceline, who is a little overwhelmed. She looks like she just woke up. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! YOU MUST BE Y/N's FRIEND, MARCELINE! SHE MENTIONED YOU A WHILE BACK!" He holds a hand out towards her. She shyly takes it; for someone who performs in front of large crowds, she sure is nervous in other social settings.

"Yeah, I am! It's nice to meet you Papyrus!" She nods, taking his hand and giving him a small handshake. She pulls back, looking over to Sans. "And you must be Sans?"

"yep. _ice_ to meet you." He smiles, earning a small giggle out of her.

"Are you three just hanging out?" She looks among you as she enters the kitchen alongside you, you pulling out two mugs to make coffee for the two of you. She silently thanks you.

"nope."

"I'm, uh." You trail off as Marceline looks at you. "I'm moving out until we get to a new place. I don't wanna wait until Jackie and Asher leave, and Sans' place is closer to the music store I work at." You nod.

"Oh, that's fine. I actually need to speak with you, for a moment. Privately. It's about Jack and Ash." She nods, saying the last part quietly. I nod.

"You two can go in the living room-" You turned to tell them, but Sans and Papyrus were already gone before you turned back to Marcy. "What's up?"

"They actually won't leave. They came up to me last night, screaming and yelling that they won't leave the house." She spoke quietly to you. Your brows furrowed.

"Why."

"They said they wanted to talk to you and figure this out before you, in their words, 'go all batshit crazy'." She takes a sip of her coffee, looking to you with curiosity. You groaned.

"Go all batshit crazy? Asher was about to fuck in his dressing room, down the hall from his girlfriend of _five_ years. I have every right to go insane. I could have packed their shit myself and thrown them out with my own bare hands if I wanted to go batshit crazy." You shook your head. Your head began to pound with annoyance.

"I know, I'm sorry, Y/N. They just seem really Hellbent on staying. Even Asher mentioned getting back together with you. They fought last night and I could hear it when I got home. Asher was telling Jackie that he regretted it and knew you'd get together with him again. Then Jackie called you easy." She spoke even quieter, leaning in a bit to gossip. She hated conflict, but she knew when it was time to spill. Your head got even worse when Marcy had said Jackie's bit.

"Yeah, whatever, she can fuck right off, with Asher." You took a large gulp from your mug. Your head throbbed at the thought of getting back together with him. Knowing he would so easily do that to you? With you nearby? You couldn't imagine the times he could have gotten home from work late and gotten together.. before you knew it, tears rolled down your face. Marceline frowned, grabbing your hand.

"Hey. I'm right here to help you, okay? Whatever you need, I'll be right here, and you have my number if you need help. We still have each other." She nods. You nod back, her arms opening up and you accepting the offer for a tight embrace. Your heart began to beat hard against your ribs, your legs beginning to get weak. God, fuck, now you just wanna stay in bed and eat ice cream all day while you wallow in your own tears in self pity. You feel Marcy drag a hand up and down your back. You stay there for a moment, before pulling away, wiping your cheek free of tears.

"I need to get my shit together. I don't feel like being here anymore. Sorry." You sniffle, unable to help as your now bloodshot eyes began to swell. She nods, letting you saunter over to the living room. The two skeletons look over with gazes of concern, your sternum aching again. "Hey."

"what's wrong." Sans replied plainly. Papyrus kept quiet.

"Nothing, I'm fine, let's just get this over with."

"ARE YOU SURE? YOUR EYES ARE PUFFY, Y/N. I KNOW BY NOW THAT THAT IS NOT NORMAL." Papyrus chimes in. You shake your head.

"Like I said, I'm fine. Can we please get this done? I don't wanna be here forever." You groaned. They squint at you, but don't pressure anymore. They join you upstairs, the brothers looking to each other as they stare into your back, right where your SOUL is. However, they weren't given much time to linger as they entered your room. It was messy from last night's exhaustion. You three tried to pick up clothes and pack necessities before anyone came to disturb you, but a knock interrupted you. Your heart dropped a little, the brothers quickly noticing. "Yes?" You spat.

"'S me. Can we talk? Before you leave? Please?" You hear Asher's voice behind the door. Your mouth grew dry, hearing him. You heard a female voice, softer, speaking, too, but you couldn't hear. _You_ couldn't, anyway.

"no. she's busy." Before you could retort, Sans' right eyelight flashed blue, the sound of your door locking sounding out. Your door handle jiggled, your body refusing to move.

_**trigger warning: panic attacks, yelling, some violence, threats** _

"Who the Hell is that? Y/N, open the fucking door. I'm not playing." Asher called to you again. He continued jiggling the handle. You three were still looking at the door, Sans' eyelight still blue. The scent of fresh winter spilled through the room, quickly filling your nose.

"said no. we're busy, _friend._ " He spoke the last word lowly, rumbling from his chest. It sent a chill down your spine. You weren't sure what to do, knowing Asher wouldn't let up. He's stubborn, and you knew when he had his mind set on something he wouldn't let go. "go back to packing, y/n."

"But-" 

"please, princess." He looked back to you. That nickname pluck a string you didn't know existed before. You nodded, knowing he would be there for you, joining Papyrus in collecting your things. Your door shook.

"Why the fuck are you calling my girlfriend that shit, you fucking _freak_?" Asher hissed. You squinted. What was that all about? You shook your head, trying your best to ignore the noise. "Y/N, let me in, _now_!" He called out for you again, louder this time. You flinched. The smell of Sans' magic leaked out faster now, almost chilling you to the bone, Papyrus staying close to you unless something happened. You tried your best to ignore the loud knocking and focus on packing, but it just got too loud. You found yourself on the floor. Papyrus was next to you, trying to console you through your tears. You tried with all of your might, sniffling harshly. You wanted this to be over. You screamed when you heard Asher punch the door, crying out in pain. "Fuck! Open the door, Monster! I need to talk to her!"

"you don't need, or get to talk to anyone, buddy." Sans chuckled. You put a fist to your chest, Papyrus taking you into his lap, sitting in the corner where your wall and the dresser met, whispering into your ear.

"Deep Breaths, My Dear." He held you close, rubbing your back. You tried your best, now noticing your breaths came out in strained hyperventilation. Papyrus continued to soothe you. "Five Things You Can See?" Your eyes lifted. You were going to try your best, flinching with every new noise.

"T-the door," Your eyes drifted, " Sans, my b-bed, my swe-atshirt," you took a deep breath, trying to continue, ", and you."

"Good. Four Things You Can Touch?" He smiled down at you. Your chest let go of some of the strain, the sweet scent of citrus filling your nose alongside the icy one that wafted from Sans the longer he went on.

"My hands, your g-gloves, my dresser and the floor."

"Three Things You Can Hear?" This became a little more difficult now, seeing that you were still here. You swallowed thickly.

"Y-you, myself, and S-Sans." You nodded. Your body was still shaking, but your vision was clearer. You could hear Asher getting quieter now.

"Two Things You Can Smell?"

"Citrus, and w-winter? If that makes sense?" The scents were humbling, though, you couldn't complain. You were grateful Sans and Papyrus were here. They got here just in time for everything to go to shit.

"That's Just Fine. One Thing You Can Taste?"

"My coffee from this morning." You spoke clearly. You're calmer now. "We need to get the packing done, I don't want to listen to this bullshit anymore." You shook your head. You wrapped your arms around Papyrus, giving him a silent thanks. He returns it just as tightly, but gentle as he watched his own strength.

"ALRIGHT. I'LL BE HERE IF YOU NEED ME, MY DEAR!" Papyrus called out with his usual self. Sans was still busy, as you two quickly got to work finishing up. You couldn't grab everything, because Asher and Jackie were still here and now outside. You nodded to Sans once you were done, gripping your suitcase tightly.

_**trigger warning: end** _

"ready?" Sans joined you, phalanges sliding across your hand. A slight blush crossed your cheeks, your head nodding. He nods back, you holding your breath for the second or two shortcut through the Void and to his home, your body relaxing at the familiar sight of the large mansion-like house, three stories, in the middle of the calming forest. The tweeting of the wildlife around you was soothing. Sans quickly approached. "you better?"

"Enough." You nod. He nods back.

"c'mon, there's people i want you to meet. they're eager. let me go in first, don't want you getting bombarded. was trying to get this to go smoother, but they're riled up now." He nodded to you, rubbing his hand over your shoulder a bit. That statement confused you, but you nodded. You groaned at the sudden realization.

"WHAT'S WRONG, Y/N?" Papyrus turns to you.

"I left the most important shit back at the house. My guitar and hygiene stuff, I mean. I have basic stuff, but nothing for overnight." You crossed your arms over your stomach as it growled. Panic attacks always took a lot out of you. "And my meds. Fuck, I didn't take them yet this morning.. no wonder I reacted like that. Sorry if I freaked you out like that, Papyrus."

"NO WORRIES! I WAS RIGHT THERE NEXT TO YOU TO COMFORT YOU AND YOU ARE FEELING BETTER NOW! I AM SURE THAT SANS HAVE CALMED DOWN EVERYONE SO THEY CAN MEET YOU! I APOLOGIZE BEFOREHAND THAT YOU ARE NOT FEELING WELL BEFORE THIS, THEY CAN BE QUITE OVERWHELMING." Papyrus nodded, holding a hand out as he held one of your suitcases. As you took his hand, Sans quickly stepped out, standing on the porch.

"they're ready for ya, princess." He winks, your chest filling with more anxiety, but you caught that in your throat before it could expand any further. You sent him a smile, striding forward with Papyrus right by your side. You took a deep breath before stepping inside, looking around. The air was a bit tense, but not enough to send you running for the hills. Your eyes trailed the connected living room, kitchen, and dining room, which are the first things you've met in your sight. Along with... two skeletons that look just like Sans and Papyrus.

"there y' are, _kotenok_." A deep voice purred next to you. A blush formed in your face, direction of sight landing on the couch, where a gold tooth, fang bearing, puffer jacket with a fluff-lined hood, red turtleneck wearing Sans. His eyes glowed red, red magic falling from between his teeth. A scent of strawberries filled the air. He was looked up to you from the couch seat. It clicked.

"You! You were at the bar last night!" You snapped. "You were stalking me!" You stared at him angrily. You could hear a few chuckles, seeing even more copies of Sans and Papyrus behind him, and now all around the room before you. It seems they'd all come out to see you. They were right, this can be overwhelming.

"stalkin'? wouldn't call one night stalkin'." Another one spoke behind him. A Papyrus copy. He bore a black tank top, purple jacket overtop of it. His sandled feet were propped up on a bean bag in front of him. He also had a collar, with a metal tag on it. It shone to your eyes, reminding you yet again of yesterday. You narrowed your eyes.

"I'll have you know, scaring me while I work, performing in front of live people, is stalking. Even when I didn't know you until now. And I know _you_ were there, too. I noticed your tag, looked the same as what I saw in the crowd." You cross your arms beneath your bust, which draws the attention of a few. You glare, a few of them looking away. One looked shamelessly.

"c'mon, have a little fun. we didn't touch ya." The edgy Sans huffed. "name's red, kitty, don't forget it." His eyelights finally returned to the normal white, one of them disappearing to wink at you.

"Whatever, just don't do that again." You roll your eyes. "My name is Y/N." Red smirked, and your eyes are already rolling.

"like th' sound of that. gonna keep your little nickname, though, fits ya better." He takes out a cigarette, pushing himself and turning the corner to head the door behind you, Red staring at you like a piece of freshly grilled steak. You groan.

"I don't feel like dealing with more _ash_ -holes today." You head further into the house, leaning against your suitcase as you hear Sans and the other Papyrus copy snicker.

"speakin' of introductions, name's mutt." You hear a voice behind you. You look over to the couch, Mutt sitting on the couch with his sandles still on the beanbag.

"Nice to meet you. Thank you for being at least a little more tolerable." You nod. He nods back.

"yeah, don't be so thrown off with red, he's just an insufferable prick sometimes." Mutt smirks.

"i can hear ya, _mudak!_ " Red calls out from the porch. You all laugh.

"HM, I COULD HAVE SWORN THIS MORNING MORE PEOPLE WERE DOWNSTAIRS!" Papyrus called from behind you, rubbing his chin with a gloved hand.

"There are more?" You pout a little.

"yep. 'bout, uh." Sans mumbles the last part. You tilt your head.

"What?"

"six more." He speaks a little louder. Your eyes widen.

" _Six?_ " You sigh. You grip the handlebar of your suitcase.

"don't worry, they're not as bad. sometimes." Sans winks. "c'mon, i'll show you your room, princess." He nods to you, gesturing to the staircase. There's that nickname again. It feels nice. He said it so casually but you enjoy that he isn't being stingy about it. You follow behind as he trudges up the stairs.

"I left my guitar, hygiene and meds back at the house. Everything else we can get tomorrow, but I need my-" You saw as Sans reached into his pockets, pulling out two prescription bottles. A grin grows onto your face.

"other stuff is in your room already." You can hear the grin in his voice. You smile widely, nodding. You continue to follow Sans, going up to the last door on the end of the hallway, Sans pushing it open. You're met by the relieving sight of your guitar, and your music bag full of your songs and stuff. Sans turns to you, and you can't help but bring him in a tight hug.

"Thank you so much, Sans. I don't know what I would have done without you." You sigh into his shoulder, your body relaxing on his. He wraps his arms around you in return.

"no problem. wanted to grab it before anyone could do anything to it, didn't wanna see the outcome of your most precious belonging and his grimy ass hands." He chuckles. You giggle a little, pulling away.

"Right. And thanks for letting me stay, and for the room, and just-" You feel Sans grab your hand, his cold phalanges encasing your warm skin.

"sh. go unpack and get settled, i'm sure someone else is already on their way to introduce themselves." He holds his other hand out to you, holding your bottles. You nod, taking your prescription. He vanishes, leaving a hint of that icy winter again. You unzip your suitcase, seeing Papyrus leading behind and handing you your other one. You thank him, him leaving you to your devices and closing the door behind him. You're left to wonder what else could possibly happen today, shaking your head to yourself. After a moment, you catch a whiff of a strong Blueberry scent. It's almost overwhelming, and you turn around to find another Sans, flinching a little in surprise. This time, he has a baby blue colored, star shaped eyelights, a blue handkerchief around his neck, a chestplate of armour, black pants, blue gloves, and blue boots. You can see a theme.

"HELLO, HUMAN! I HEARD YOU WERE COMING OVER TODAY!" He nods. You nod back, smiling. He's got Papyrus' volume. "MY NAME IS THE MAGNIFICENT BLUEBERRY! YOU CAN CALL ME BLUE FOR SHORT!" He holds a hand out. You take it, shaking it gently, but he takes the effort to shake your hand firmly, and grip your hand a little too tight.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Y/N." You smile to him. His eyes only seem to get brighter, his blueberry magic scent getting stronger.

"WOW! YOU HAVE SUCH A PRETTY NAME!" He cheers a little. You feel the warmth of a blush covering your cheeks.

"Oh, t-thank you." You nod. "Sorry I didn't see you earlier this morning, lots of stuff happened." You shake your head, returning to putting things away.

"I KNEW ALREADY, DON'T WORRY!" He nods. You raise an eyebrow. "NEVERMIND. WOULD YOU LIKE HELP UNPACKING, MY FAIR MAIDEN?" He holds a hand out. You shake your head, shrugging it off. You let him help, telling him where certain things go, and having some small talk. You try to distract yourself from what he said, but it still lingered in your mind. What did he mean by 'I already know'? You didn't see Sans text him or anything, and Blue wasn't there this morning.

"Hey, Blue?" You turn to him. He turns his head up to you. "What did you mean by, 'I already know'?" You see Blue's skull drip down with baby blue sweatdrops.

"NOTHING, MAIDEN! LET'S JUST FINISH PACKING!" He tries to avoid the subject, but he's a horrible liar. After you two finish, he exits your room. You are absolutely exhausted after all of this. Your stomach grumbles. Right, you still haven't eaten, as much as you wanna sleep. You push yourself up, opening the door and flinching as you open your door to another skeleton. He looks like an edgy Papyrus. Must be Red's copy sibling. He looks angry, and his teeth are sharp. His chestplate doesn't cover his entire torso, showing off some spine, the black plate on his shoulders going out a little like wings. He bore a red scarf around his neck, black pants with a belt, and some red boots. He stares down at you intimidatingly.

"HELLO, HUMAN. HOW AWFULLY NICE OF YOU NOT TO BOTHER TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO ME FIRST WHEN YOU GOT HERE." He huffs. He crosses his arms across his chest, and you take a step back so you can stop craning your neck to look up to him. "WELL?" He stood expectantly.

"Y/N." You said this plainly. You aren't feeding into his antics so early. You're suddenly overwhelmed with the smell of charcoal. Your nose wrinkles.

"GOOD ENOUGH. I AM THE TERRIBLE EDGE. PLEASE ADDRESS ME AS SUCH. I EXPECT NOTHING LESS. I KNOW YOU'VE ALREADY MET MY EQUALLY TERRIBLE, MORE ANNOYING SIBLING RED." He nods. "I HAVE ALSO BEEN REQUESTED BY MY... COUNTERPART TO COME AND GET YOU FOR BREAKFAST. COME QUICKLY." He turns, leaving you by yourself again. You let yourself relax, going to follow behind him, closing your door. You head down to the kitchen, the scent of breakfast being made finally filling your nose. You turn your head to the kitchen, seeing Papyrus, along with Blue finishing up your morning meal. Papyrus turns his head to you.

"AH! Y/N! YOU'RE FINALLY DONE PACKING! BREAKFAST WILL BE DONE IN A MOMENT." You nod to each other, you pulling out your phone. You groan, looking to your screen.

**28 missed calls.**  
**62 missed messages.**

"WHAT'S BOTHERING YOU, MY FAIR MAIDEN?" Blue turns his head to you. Your chest pangs a little.

"My ex boyfriend. It's a thing." You try to push past it.

"ex? this recent?" You hear Red chime in from the living room, looking to you. Now everyone's eyes are on you, waiting for an answer. You nod, knowing you won't be able to get away from this.

"Yeah. We broke up last night. Caught him cheating. It's a thing, don't worry about it." You force a smile, placing your phone back into your sweatshirt pocket. No one looks happy anymore.

"WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD BETRAY YOU LIKE THAT, MAIDEN?!" Blue calls out, looking concerned. The usual smile on his face is diminished. You try to hold back tears, crying enough today. It seems like everyone could notice. Sans approaches.

"how about we ignore that asshole. why didn't you block him already?" Again, everyone seems anxious for an answer. Well, you guess this is group therapy time. Whatever. 

"Because he won't leave the house. Neither will Jackie, because they think I'm 'going batshit crazy', then Jackie called me easy." Your voice hitches a little. You can feel a tear escape. Sans reaches a phalange up and wipes it away. You can see Red leaning against the wall, staring at you. The scent of his magic wafts over a little. "Don't worry about it, he's just being..."

"a fuckin' bitch?" Red growls angrily.

"obsessive." Sans chimes in, staring down at you with concern.

"A BIG JERK?" Blue calls from the kitchen.

"JUST PLAIN MEAN." Papyrus even joined in, finishing breakfast. You can't help but laugh, wiping your nose on your sleeve.

"I guess. Not the first time he's done this. I just need to give him a while, then he'll calm down. Not sure about Jackie, though, she just kinda keeps out of the way. Marceline said back in the kitchen before we left that Asher still wants to get back together." You try to mumble the last part, but someone clears their throat from behind you, you turning around to see another Papyrus copy. He's got a lollipop in his mouth, a plain orange hoodie, orange slippers, and black basketball shorts. "Let me guess, Orange?"

"stretch. sounds like dude you're dealing with is askin' for a real good time." He moves the lollipop around behind his teeth, clacking a little against the bone.

"i agree. i say we go an' say a little hello." You hear Red behind you. You sigh.

"No, just leave it alone. I'll take care of it if it escalates. If Marceline has problems with them, she'll text me." You nod assuringly. "Now let's eat, food's getting cold, and I'm hangry." You move past Sans, the rest of them agreeing and going towards the kitchen, Blue and Papyrus gathering the food and bringing it to the large table. It seems big enough for quite a few people, more than who's already here. Mutt is already at the table, scrolling through his phone. He clicks it off at the sight of you. He smirks, patting the seat next to him. You roll your eyes, deciding he is the least amount of asshole, giving him a chance and sitting next to him. You hear Red growl, taking the seat next to you. You roll your eyes. "I am not an object, treat me like a person, please." You look between the two of them, who are looking competitively at each other. You get the collective laughter of the table.

Papyrus and Blue soon come in, setting the food on the table and handing out plates, you stand, offering to help, but Blue immediately denies your help and makes you sit. You groan, sitting between the two feuding over you. Another skeleton joins you, but this time a sans copy. He looks just bored.

"SO YOU WEREN'T GOING TO INVITE ME TO EAT? HOW RUDE." He approaches the table. He looks like blue, but his color palette is much more of a deep grey and his teeth are sharp. He's got the same chest plate type armor of Edge, but it covers his entire torso and he wore a black tee underneath. "AND THE HUMAN. MY NAME IS THE MALEVOLENT BLACKBERRY, BUT YOU CAN JUST CALL ME BLACK, PET." He hissed. You raise an eyebrow.

"I am not a _pet._ " You snapped back. He looked to you challengingly. You aren't going down without a fight.

"YOU ARE TO ME. DON'T DEFY YOUR MASTER." He nods to you. You look at him unbelievably. Again, the audacity some people have. Here, let me help you carry that fat fucking sack of 'I am the best' you drag around. You roll your eyes.

"c'mon, boss, let 'er down easy. firs' day." Mutt huffed reaching down to get some food on his plate. You join him, a few of the others already eating.

"HMPH. I DON'T EXPECT ANY MORE DEFIANCE AFTER THIS, PET. YOU WILL OBEY, NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TAKES." He takes a seat away from the rest of the group, eating in silence.

"so, tell me more about this _ash_ -hole." Red chimes. You look over, rolling your eyes.

"Is that the best we can come up with."

"ash-hat?" Stretch joins. You shrug. Black and Edge look up, interested, but Black makes it less obvious. 

"That works." You take a bite of the pancakes on your plate. Red sits expectantly. "I guess I'm not getting out of this question?" Red shakes his head. You sigh. "Okay. Well, Asher and I dated for five years. It was going well, then last night happened. Walked in on him trying to go down on Jackie, another bandmate of mine. Now I'm trying to get him out of the house with Jackie. It's a renter, but it's under my name. We split rent, and now that we're trying to get Jack and Ash out, Marcy and I are gonna find another place. Until then, I'm here." And almost as if, on que, Your phone rings. It's Marceline's ringtone. Everyone begins to get tense, many scents hitting you at once. You shake your head, coughing a little. "Don't worry, just Marcy, give me a minute." You push yourself up, going off to answer the call in the living room. "Hello?"

"Can you come over please? Asher isn't doing too good, and he called the cops." Your breath gets caught in your throat.

"Woah, wait, hold on, what? Why?" You began to subconsciously pace in front of the couch.

"I don't know. He was pissed that he was getting kicked out and called the cops because he's angry that you're trying to do something illegal or something. Can you please come? Now would suffice, they're waiting for you." Marceline sounded like she was holding back. Poor girl. You nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Skeletons might tag along, so be prepared." You ended the call. You turned back to walk back to the dining room, but quite a few people were already standing there, Red, Sans, Stretch, and Mutt.

"what happened?" Sans spoke first. You sigh, rubbing your temples.

"Asher called the cops and they're waiting for me to come over." Your head began to pound. This was going to be a long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> kotenok - kitty  
> mudak - asshole
> 
> updates when i can :3


	3. An Okay First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asher gives you a hard time. You try to calm down Marceline with a thing and bring her to your temporary place to introduce your new roomies.
> 
> And you could have sworn you just saw someone out of the corner of your eye...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *stares at the overwhelming amount of kudos and hits i have for two chapters* *sweats profusely* wow, i got a lot of people to disappoint! anyway, here's your third chapter! if you didn't think diving straight into the angst was enough, hoo boy you got another thing comin.
> 
> i'll be honest, my biggest fear is this getting a lot of attention and people expecting a lot out of me and suddenly i've run out of ideas or my fic seems unoriginal because there are a lot of good scenes/tropes/ideas that i've seen in other fics that i wanna recreate but keep it from seeming like i wanna take everyone else's shit. however, from my days of taking time off to read and get inspiration, i realized that patterns are inevitable (even with little things like nicknames from the boys, music inspiration, etc). and it's okay. if someone has a problem, i just get back up and rewrite. no problem with making mistakes. lmao i hope you enjoyed my inner ramblings
> 
> FUN FACT (last thing i promise) i rewrote the entire 'reader goes back to her house to deal with asher' thing, which was 1k words, because i didn't like the flow. yeah anyway take it take it take it i hate how i wrote this.
> 
> song in this chapter:  
> Cry - Ashnikko (feat. Grimes)  
> That's What You Get - Paramore
> 
> THANKS FOR 50 KUDOS AND ALMOST 400 HITS!!!!!!
> 
> enjoy the new chapter :3
> 
> if the change in the text font bothers you, click/tap the 'hide creator's style' button.

You stared at them all. They stared back. Red looked pissed off, a deep growl rising from his chest.

"why th' fuck would 'e do tha'?" Red hissed at you. You could smell strawberries invade your nose. You can hear his accent get heavier with his anger.

"No idea. I'm not a crazy person." You sigh. Mutt looks smug. "What's up with you?"

"dunno. but it sounded like you planned on bringin' someone with ya." He smirks. You can see the others getting interested in your conversation.

"I guess, I just figured I'd need witnesses." You sigh, reaching into your pocket to fidget with your phone. "Asher has a pretty bad temper, so I'd need.. calmer guests. I don't know how the cops will react either and Marcy sounded pretty freaked out." You drum your fingers on your screen.

"i'll go, then. already seen him anyway." Sans chimed in.

"'ll go. this one has a temper." Mutt gestured to Red, who only became more fuming.

"th' fuck tha' supposed t' mean?!" He calls out to him, only making some of the guys laugh.

"Okay, okay, that's enough. Sans and Mutt, you come with." You nod. Stretch raises his eyebrow.. bones.. and you raise one back. "Did you wanna come with, too?"

"wanted to show him a good time, didn't i?" He smiles, no longer holding a sucker in his mouth. You sigh.

"You can come, too, I guess. Red, you stay." Red didn't seem too happy with this final result.

"an' why's tha'?!" Red shouts, his phalanges balled into a fist.

"Temper. I don't want to keep Ash waiting, so let's go before he gets worse." You look over to the others, ignoring the steam coming out of Red's metaphorical ears. Sans holds out a hand, and you happily take it, the others connecting from their clothing as you blip out, going through the Void, and appearing in front of your rental. You look around, and lo and behold, there's a cop car smack dab in the middle of your driveway. You look to the front door, not noticing yourself grip tighter on Sans' phalanges. He grips back, and you look back to him, one of his eyelights flashing off and on again in a wink. You slowly pull away realizing your mistake. "Okay. Before we go in, just.. stay calm. Please. You're only here for extra eyes."

"whatever you say, honey bee." Stretch hums. Your eyebrows furrow, and he winks an eyelight at you. Screw these smooth ass skeletons. You roll your eyes with frustration, leading your small posse behind you. You can already hear Asher's arguing with the officer, nerves wracking your body as you follow the staircase up to the hallway leading to the connected Dining Room and Kitchen. Asher looks over to you, Jackie behind him silently. Marceline is standing by the staircase leading to the bedrooms, quickly rushing over to you. You smile over to her, Sans, Stretch, and Mutt following behind. The officer looks over to you.

"You must be Y/N. I'm Officer Smith." He tips his hat to you. "And they are?"

"People I'm staying with right now. Is everything okay? My roommate called and said it was urgent." You try to keep your cool, stuffing your hands into your pockets, your eyes avoiding Asher's directions. You don't feel like looking at him.

"Mr. Green here said that he, along with the other young lady behind him, was getting removed from the property 'illegally' by you. Does this sound accurate?"

"Well, the house is under my name in the renter's contract, so I felt I had every right to remove them both. They both pay rent but something happened to rift our relationships and now me and Marceline," You gesture to Marceline's shaking frame. ", are trying to find somewhere else to stay." You manage to keep your ground, the officer nodding his head.

"Right. But it seems they don't want to leave." He raises an eyebrow.

"That's correct. He ambushed me this morning while I was packing my things with my friend here," You gesture to Sans, ", and his brother, and then he started knocking on my door and demanding to talk to me. I ended up having a panic attack." You can see Asher get angrier, his fists balled and his veins seeming to pulse from his damn head.

"Okay. Did he hurt you or anyone else physically at all?" You can hear small radio chatter over his radio.

"Not that I know of, no. He didn't end up getting inside because I locked my door. I felt threatened, though. I suffer from an anxiety disorder and haven't had the chance to take my meds yet." You start rocking back and forth on your feet.

"Okay. So you're just trying to remove them from the property? Did you give an official eviction notice?"

"No. I just want them out before I move out because I won't be here for much longer." You shrug. The officer nods again.

"Alright. Does he pay his part of his rent since he resides here?"

"Yes, he-"

"Not anymore after this. Honestly, I just feel like I'm wasting your time, officer." Asher quickly interrupts. He's also moving back and forth on his own feet.

"How about you? You got somewhere to go?" The officer looks to Jackie.

"I'm actually planning on staying with Asher, officer." Your eyebrow quirks up. I thought that Asher said that he regrets it, apparently. That shit changed quick. "I pay rent as well but if I'm not wanted here I'll stop and just move out. Makes things easier." She nods. You have to keep yourself from groaning out loud in frustration. Was the police really necessary?

"Alright. When's the soonest you want them out?" He turns back to you.

"ASAP, if that's possible." You cross your arms. Asher's eyes roll, and Jackie looks pissed now.

"Honestly, fine by me." Jackie snaps, adding to the conversation now.

"Let's keep this civil now. When do you two plan on moving out?"

"Right now is fine. We'll grab basic necessities and come back on a different date to get everything else once we have a place ourselves." Asher nods. The officer nods back.

"Sounds good." You add. The officer stays around to make sure everything goes civilly, Jackie and Asher out in about 20 minutes. You stand by, Marceline staying by your side and explaining what happened to lead up to this. Apparently, after you, Sans, and Papyrus blipped out, Asher and Jackie started arguing again. He calmed down, but after more talking, Asher got pissed again and then called the cops out of anger. Isn't the first time he's pulled this shit. He's called the cops when you two got in a fight over something before, but he ended up storming out. Just like this. But right now, you're just hoping that he stays out. The officer leaves after Jackie and Asher does, leaving the rest of you to our own devices. You can hear Marceline sniffle.

"I-I'm sorry.." You can see her eyes tearing up, everyone growing concerned.

"don' worry 'bout it. scary dude." Mutt reaches a hand up to pat her arm gently. Marceline seems nervous.

"Oh- I should introduce everyone. Marceline, you already know Sans." Sans waves. "But these two are Stretch and Mutt, just two of the... many roomies I have." You nod. That earns a chuckle from Stretch. Marceline tries to laugh.

"It's nice to meet you all, I'm Marceline. I apologize for this being your first impression of me." She wipes away a tear, pushing back her short brown hair. She had that anime girl type hair, her bangs pushed to one side and covering one eye, brown hair cut in a bob. She had hazel doe eyes, and generally dressed in pastel colors. You couldn't have guessed that she could play an electric guitar and enjoyed heavy metal.

"nice t'meet you, too, sweetheart." Stretch nods his head. You couldn't help but see that Marceline was still tense, a small blush on her cheeks.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything! I just knew I wanted to be the messenger, and-" Marceline was looking down to her hands, fidgeting nervously. You take them in your hands.

"Thank you for all of that, but now that that's all done and over with; I think I know just the thing to calm our nerves." You smile to her. She nods, your skeletal guests giving you gazes of curiosity. You quickly lead them down to the garage, not noticing the boys looking at you with adoring stares at your excitement.

\--

You watch as Marceline hooks up her guitar to the speaker, settling it in her lap. You made Sans go and get your guitar from your room, which he regrettably did, handing it over to you. You needed it for this song in particular, Stretch leaning back and taking one or two looks at you that you don't know if you mind, and Mutt striking up a conversation with Marceline, who can't help but blush and giggle and answer his less than innocent questions. Thankfully, Stretch was there to keep him in tact.

"Thank God, you are a lifesaver, Sans." You blew him an air kiss, which you swore you saw a blue flash of what looked like an embarrassed flush on his cheekbones.

"don't think my name is god, but, i'll take it." One of his eyelights disappears in a wink, and suddenly Marceline is pulled out by her trance with Mutt, who is looking more than smug right now. You glare at him, and he shrugs, pulling out.. a.. dog bone. A dog bone? He lifts it to his teeth, lifting a lighter from his pocket and lifting it to the end of it.

"can i not smoke 'n 'ere?" He grumbles. You blink, shaking your head.

"N-no, you can. Sorry, just, surprising.." You clear your throat, gaining a laugh or giggle from everyone as you two have that little interaction. You grunt, plucking a few strings and tuning. You look over to Marceline. "You ready?" After a confirming nod, you tap your foot to start yourselves [off.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pssWSj42t8M)

**(You) I'm a tough bitch, but I'm sensitive**

**Could a, could a, could a quick fuck be a sedative?**

**It's relative 'cause you were pushing me out to the fucking edge**

**I'm about to rip all of my hair out**

**'Cause I'm madder than I've ever been.**

**I just wanna call you, but I know I can't**

**Fuck a fuckin' fuck boy fuckin' up my plans.**

**Lay another finger on me you could lose a hand**

**You could lose a hand, you could lose a**

You noticed the boys staring at you in shock. They knew what you played already, to an extent, even outside of your knowledge maybe; but seeing this other shy, soft girl who was crying over a small conflict playing this metal-esque shit? Now _that_ is some surprising stuff. Mutt and Stretch looked to each other, Sans absolutely mesmerized, the other skeleboys laughing at him over it under the heavy bass you two had played. You suddenly didn't have a care in the world, shouting out in frustration. Fuck Asher.

**(You) Bitch! Are you tryna make me cry?**

**Are you tryna make me lose it?**

**You win some and lose some**

**This could get gruesome**

**Bitch! Are you tryna make me cry?**

**Are you tryna make me lose it?**

**You win some and lose some**

**This could get gruesome**

**(Marceline) This is the winter of my discontent**

**Everything else is irrelevant**

**Are you trying to make me cry? (You) _Cry?_**

**(Marceline) This is the winter of my discontent**

**This is the winter of my discontent**

**It'll be fine if you just repent, ooh**

Marceline sang this very errily-like. You had only practiced this once or twice before. It was after a big fight between you and Asher. Not one of the 'call the cops' situations, but it... was something that rocked you. Should have told you how bad he was the first time. But you ignored the signs and kept him around. You have no idea why, but you just did. You were stupid and in love, and you gave him the benefit of the doubt. Stupid on your part. You returned with the same anger from before, just wishing you had listened to your gut.

**(You) Bitch! Are you tryna make me cry?**

**Are you tryna make me lose it?**

**You win some and lose some**

**This could get gruesome**

**Bitch! Are you tryna make me cry?**

**Are you tryna make me lose it?**

**You win some and lose some**

**This could get gruesome**

Before you could get lost in the music again, you could see Stretch and Mutt discussing something, Sans finally relaxing in the lawn chair you had provided him. Blue, of course, his signature color, how could you not? You lower the tone of your voice, finally giving some of your vocal chords a chance to relax from the almost pterodactyl screeching you had just put into the mic. You can also see Marceline is much happier than before.

**(You) Careful with me, I'm volatile (Marceline) _This could get gruesome_**

**(You) Careful with me, I'm homicidal (Marceline) _This could get, this could get_**

**(You) Careful with me, I'm volatile (Marceline) _This could get gruesome_**

**(You) Careful with me, I'm volatile (Marceline) _This could get, this could get_**

The music fades out. You get some howling cheers, the boys cheering you two after your small performance. You could see they were very pleased, you taking a few pants from being out of breath. You look over to Marceline, who is blushing from the praise.

"that was.." Stretch began to speak, only to be interrupted by Mutt. Sans was still quiet.

"'oly shit." Mutt puffs out a small puff of Periwinkle smoke from his dog bone, adjusting himself on the bean bag he sat on. "tha' was a _doggone_ impressive li'le perfomance." Mutt's eyelights landed on Marceline. "you shoul' come over. show th' res' of th' 'ouse yer shit." His eyelights travel on you. "you okay with tha'?" You're in a bit of a trance, shrugging it off quickly and nodding. Sans looked a little nervous, as you looked to him.

"Yeah! I mean, sure. But it's not my house. Sans?" You began to unplug your guitar, looking between him and your equipment. Marceline had begun to do the same.

"uh. if marceline's okay with it. i don't see why not." He seemed a bit nervous. You leaned over and placed a hand on his sleeve.

"You don't have to if you don't want her over. But she seems pretty content from playing." You look over to Marceline, who squeaks a bit.

"I-I don't mind coming over! As long a-as Sans is alright with it. Used to crowds anyway." She nods, her bob bob-bing along with her head movements. You smile.

"Cool. Marceline, do you mind driving over our equipment? I'll drive my motorbike over, I need to do that anyway. The rest of you can-"

"mind if i catch a ride from you? shortcuts are boring anyway." Stretch suddenly spoke up. You all look over, a small blush appearing on your face as you could see, he's looking at you, so he's asking _you_. Okay. Calm down, heart. No need to freak out now. You could practically _taste_ the smirk on Mutt's face. You nod.

"Yeah, sure, let me see if I can find an extra helmet." You stand, putting your guitar into its case, Mutt, of all people, helping Marceline pack the equipment into her car. Stretch helps some, but you can't help but feel his eyes burning holes in the back of you, along with Sans; but Sans' are more protective than oogling. You giggle to yourself, handing Stretch the helmet. "Try this on for size." He lifts it to his head, snapping it on with a click. "Fit okay? Should be snug." You lift your hands... but wow is he tall. You... wow. You're staring. Stop staring. Okay. Stop staring _now_. Now. You can feel Stretch take your hands, leading them down and back to your sides.

"fits fine, honey bee." He winks at you, clicking the helmet off and holding it close. "rude to stare." He randomly throws at you. You shake your head, your blush getting worse.

"Right. Sorry. Sorry." You try your best to change the subject. You take your bass, walking over to give it to Marceline.

Mutt looks back at Stretch and Sans, who are quietly arguing, and a bit too long as your frame as you place your bass carefully into the car. Mutt approaches Sans, sighing to himself and placing a hand onto his shoulder.

"should tell 'er soon. seems this one a'ready can't keep 'is hands off 'er." Mutt grumbles, pointing his thumb over to Stretch, who only rolls his eyelights.

"yeah, whatever. she's just fun to tease." Stretch messes with the pack of cigarettes in his orange sweatshirt pocket, pulling out a sucker from there, shoving off the wrapper, and putting the sucker in his mouth. Sans grunts.

"i will. i'll tell her when it's the proper time." Sans turns to you, already walking over with a smile. Mutt was about to retort, your voice filling the air before he could.

"Ready to go? Sans, you can go with Marceline, or shortcut, my motorbike only holds two, unfortunately." You shrug. He shrugs back.

"i'll shortcut. i'll see the rest of you at the house, let the boys know who's comin'. you two behave." Sans' eyelights get narrower, almost in straight lines, as if to squint at them. This is only replied to with small noises of agreement, mostly grunts. He nods, shortcutting back to the house, leaving behind the scent of icy winter. Mutt turns to leave you alone with Stretch, heading over to Marceline's car. Her family is rich, and she's a good student who doesn't run away from home to escape her-

"hey, you alright?" Stretch reaches down a bit, trying to take your hand. You look over, seeing that you're staring at them. You nod.

"Yeah, sorry. Just lost in thought." You smile at him. He smiles back, and you move shyly to get your helmet, seeing a strange figure from the corner of the messy garage staring at you. It was another skeleton. It looked serious, wearing a lab coat? Its body was glitching, a series of signs you didn't understand surrounding it. You looked over to the corner, disappearing before you could get a good look at it.

"are you sure you're alright?" Stretch's voice makes you flinch, almost dropping your helmet. You take a breath in, nodding. You can see that Marceline has already ridden off with Mutt, the driveway void of any vehicles.

"I thought I saw something. I'm okay, promise." You turn back to him, giving him another reassuring smile.

"good. you were really good, by the way. i didn't know what to expect, but that certainly wasn't it. marceline, was her name? she was really surprising, too. can pack a punch with that guitar. but you were really sexy up there." Stretch with casualty. Before he could realize what he said, you grabbed onto your motorbike for support before you _fell to the fucking floor with embarrassment_. He began to get embarrassed himself, covering his lazy grin, which had now formed into a stressed frown with his hands. "shit, uh, fuck, i mean. i.. wasn't lying. you looked really good. natural." He nods. You nod back, reaching for your keys.

"Fuck, I left them in the kitchen. Do you mind..?" You look over. He shrugs.

"won't move a muscle, bee." One of his eyelights goes out in a wink. You keep your smile, rushing inside to get your keys for your motorbike. Okay, first of all, what the fuck was _that?!_ You could barely keep your own composure around this dude already, and here he is calling you _sexy?!_ Sir! You can't just do that.

And Stretch wasn't feeling any better. He already fucked up around a cute girl. Couldn't help it with the nickname, could you, fucking Romeo? Already messed this up, just like you did last time. Doesn't matter, you were way out of his solar system anyway. You were wooing him already, but no thanks to Sans. Bastard already got his heart set on you, so did his brother, and being a copy of his brother meant that he had it, too. But Sans wants to take his precious fucking time. While he had anything _but_ time. He sighed to himself, finding himself pacing and mumbling to himself again, but not for long as he could hear your humming coming through the door, quickly putting on his helmet.

"Ready to go?" You put on your own helmet, hopping onto the bike and helping him on, riding to the house where everyone is waiting. His arms slither around your waist, and you can't help your body's goosebumps that rise across your skin. Your mind went back to the figure you saw in the corner for a moment, but you just shake it off again, focusing on the road ahead.

\--

By the time you arrived, Marceline was already there, the noise from the house obvious before you even went in. As Stretch pulls away, sliding off of the bike first, feeling lingering hands on your waist which only brought back to the goosebumps from before. You can hear Stretch chuckle, laying the helmet on a box nearby in the garage as you hop off, laying your own helmet next to it. You raise an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

"nothin'. can already hear the guys, that's all." He nods towards the house, holding out a free arm.

"Oh, why thank you, dear escort." You giggled, weaving your hand around his sweatshirt sleeve where his ulna and radius are, letting him lead you inside. Inside, oh boy. Marceline looked absolutely flustered, Blue and Black bombarding the poor girl with questions. Red and Mutt were staring her down like a piece of meat, and the only ones left were you still on Stretch's arm, Sans enjoying the rambling, Papyrus and Edge no where to be found. You slowly remove yourself from Stretch, approaching everyone in the living room.

"MWEH?! W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" Blue pouts, looking towards Black, who has a prideful grin on his face.

"LOOK! SHE'S OBVIOUSLY FALLEN FOR ME ALREADY, LOOK AT THE RED ON HER FACE! I DON'T BLAME HER, I HAVEN'T MET ANYONE YET THAT HASN'T FALLEN HARD FOR ME!" Black announced, his hands on his hips as Marceline has no answered, dazed by all the attention.

"of course, m'lord, i's a good color on ya." Mutt chuckles, leaning in closer to Marceline. You clear your throat. No dice.

"woul'n' mind makin' you tha' color somewhere else." Red purrs. You clear your throat _again,_ finally getting some traction.

"Uh, hello? Can we not _drown_ this poor girl in your attention? I get it, new faces, but you gotta give her space." You announce, approaching the group, that has significantly calmed down. Marceline looks at you as if you were Jesus Christ himself walking on water, smiling to you.

"Oh, n-no, don't worry! I just.."

"don't give them excuses." Stretch speaks up. You mouth a thank you to him. You glare at everyone. Blue at least looks remorseful, Black unnerved by your sudden interruption, but Red and Mutt only move closer to you two, Red pulling you down to the couch they're sitting on, making room for you right next to Marceline, which only earns him a groan of frustration.

"awww, don' pout, _kotenok_ , you two look absolu'ely-"

"RED." The whole group is shaken a bit by the yelling, Red looking up to the staircase, where a very impatient Edge is standing and waiting. "COME HERE. NOW. LEAVE THE DAMN HUMAN ALONE. THEY ARE NOT WORTH YOUR TIME. WE HAVE BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO." He huffs. Red looks between you, Marceline (who isn't looking too hot right now), and Edge, who only opens his mouth to raise his voice more, but Red stands, quickly approaching.

"y-yes, boss. sorry." And then, they were gone, silent arguing going up the stairs. Everyone turns to their groups again, you shaking off whatever just happened.

"Anyway. Mutt, back up a little, give her some breathing room, please. You, too, Blue." You watch as you're suddenly obeyed. Black, however, is still standing in front of you now, looking a bit entertained.

"YES. YOU'D MAKE A GREAT PET, AS I SAID EARLIER." And before you could retort, Black turned to Mutt. "MUTT. COME, NOW, WE MUST PREPARE TO TRAIN MY NEW HUMAN." Just like that, your jaw drops in amazement. Amazement of how fucking confident he was in himself to do that. Mutt is standing now, too, a smirk held on his face, a silver tooth glinting in the lights of the living room.

"Pet? Oh you've gotta be kidding." You cross your arms. "Take your BDSM shit somewhere else, now is not the time. Marceline and I only came over so we could hang out, as friends, and maybe jam out a bit. Not claim me as a pet and terrorize her. Like I mentioned earlier, I get the whole excitement over new human faces, but seriously, Black?"

"oh boy." You can hear Sans mutter, you looking over to him a bit, and back to Black. You all stand in silence, waiting for his next move.

"WATCH YOUR TONE AROUND YOUR MASTER. IT IS NOT 'BDSM STUFF', AS YOU CLAIM, RATHER I OWN YOU, HUMAN."

"Y/N." You correct him as he eyes you. Everyone is still in silence.

"YOUR CLOTHING IS... OKAY. MEDIOCRE. WE SHALL GO OUT TOMORROW AND GET YOU A NEW WARDROBE TO MY LIKING. MUTT, TO MY CHAMBERS." Black turns to walk upstairs.

"yes, m'lord." Mutt winks to the both of you, following behind Black.

"What- wait, I have work tomorrow. Then I have class Monday, and I work that day, too." You jump in, before they can leave.

"THE NEXT DAY THEN. MUTT WILL AWAKEN YOU BEFORE I EXPECT YOU AND DRESS YOU TO MY LIKING. UNTIL DINNER, PET." Black continues upstairs, not batting an eye to you. You sigh, turning back to Marceline, who's face looks much better.

"I am _so_ sorry about all of this, Marcy. You didn't deserve all of that."

"I'M SORRY, MISS MARCELINE, I'M JUST SO EXCITED TO HAVE SOMEONE NEW AROUND! MISS Y/N, HOW DID DEALING WITH ASHER GO?!" Blue calls out, Stretch approaching you two and taking a seat where Red used to be, Stretch relaxing next to you.

"Oh, uh, fine. There was, like, one officer there, Jackie and Asher just ended up moving out and we're gonna make another date for him to come and pack his shit to go wherever he's going. Everything else is to their respective people." You nod, leaning back into the couch, not expecting Stretch's phalanges to gently grip your waist.

"MWEH-HEH-HEH! THAT'S GOOD NEWS! I'M GLAD EVERYTHING COULD BE SORTED OUT. I APOLOGIZE AGAIN, MISS MARCELINE, I KNOW YOU WANTED TO MEET EVERYBODY BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE CAN BE REALLY GRUMPY!"

"So, I'm assuming almost everyone's been introduced to you?" Marceline nods.

"Mhm! T-they're really nice. I mean, s-sometimes they can get overwhelming but I'm okay!" Marceline nods. Suddenly, her posture straightens, and she stands. "I have an i-idea, come!" She takes your hands suddenly. "Everyone else, too! I-If you don't mind, Sans, but I saw speakers i-in your garage! Do you m-mind if we use them?" Marceline looks up to Sans. He shrugs.

"yeah, i don't care. seems like you guys need to shake off some more nerves anyway. sorry 'bout the guys." Sans hums, pushing himself up from his seat in the dining room near the living room. Marceline smiles, nodding, pulling me away.

"Thanks! Y-you come along with us, everyone! Please." She squeaks out the last word, Blue's fists pumping into the air.

"RIGHT BEHIND YOU, MISS MARCELINE!" Blue calls out, following the two of you. Stretch follows behind with a wink, Sans already gone to the garage.

\--

Marceline's guitar was already hooked, insisting that you don't need yours. She pulls out her phone, tapping your shoulder, Blue excitedly telling Stretch all about his excitement of hearing you two play. Stretch has a cigarette lit in his mouth, puffing out copper smoke, glittering under the sun. You lean over, looking to her phone.

"W-we should play this! I know you wrote it a while ago, but I h-hear you in your room sometimes singing it. I think it's appropriate." Marceline shyly nods. You grin.

"Damn, didn't think you still had it. Sure, why not." You shrug. She claps a little, adjusting her guitar, making things are in tuned properly. She taps her foot, shredding out the first few chords of the intro to the [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-4zZGBa24I). Blue looks to you excitedly, his star shaped eyelights practicely popping out of his sockets.

**(You) No, sir**

**Well, I don't wanna be the blame, not anymore**

**It's your turn**

**So take a seat, we're settling the final score**

**And why do we like to hurt so much?**

**I can't decide**

**You have made it harder just to go on**

**And why? All the possibilities**

**Well I was wrong**

**(You) That's what you get when you let your heart win. (Marceline) _Woah_**

**(You) That's what you get when you let your heart win. (Marceline) _Woah_**

**(You) I drowned out all my sense with the sound of its beating**

**And that's what you get when you let your heart win. (Marceline) _Woah_**

In the time of you singing, it seems that some people have poked their heads out of the house, including Papyrus coming back from a jog, and Red standing on the porch, watching you sing. You smile to him, and he winks, Stretch looking back to the porch and back to you with a small scowl, blowing out a puff of smoke.

**(You) I wonder**

**How am I supposed to feel when you're not here?**

**'Cause I burned every bridge I ever built when you were here**

**I still try to holding onto silly things, I never learn**

**Oh, why?**

**All the possibilities**

**I'm sure you've heard.**

While you repeat the chorus, you see Mutt and Black walk out. Mutt looks pleased, looking to the both of you and eagerly approaching the garage. Black yells at him, but you're unable to hear him, running after Mutt as he approaches the garage. You giggle to yourself a little before the bridge, quickly getting back onto the groove. All you need for a full jam sesh is..

**(You) Pain, make you way to me, to me**

**And I'll always be just so inviting**

**If I ever start to think straight**

**This heart will start a riot in me**

**Let's start, start, hey!**

**Why do we like to hurt so much?**

**Oh, why do we like to hurt so much?**

**(You and Marceline) That's what you get when you let your heart win. (You) Woah!**

You finally see Edge reluctantly join the party. He stays on the porch, whilst everywhere else made a small audience for you and Marceline. You look over to check, but she doesn't seem to be bothered. You were a bit worried, because being around a crowd of strangers doesn't bother her, but when it comes to people she knows you know she can get a little locked up. You're proven wrong, though, Marceline easily sliding through the song.

**(You) That's what you get when you let your heart win. (Marceline) _Woah_**

**(You) That's what you get when you let your heart win. (Marceline) _Woah_**

**(You) Now, I can't trust myself with anything but this**

**(You) And that's what you get when you let your heart win. (You and Marceline) _Woah_**

Marceline strums the final few chords, the sound draining out before you hear the collective clapping and whistling from the boys, Blue is enamored, Red looks seriously impressed, the three who had heard you play before look as entertained from before, Black is clapping slowly, Papyrus looks equal parts impressed and stoked, and Edge is.. Edge.

"color me impressed, kitten." Red crosses his arms over his chest. "sad i missed out in the beginning, had to make sure 'e wasn't lookin'." He gestures to Edge on the porch, who looks neutral. He's unreadable. You shrug.

"WOW.... MISS MARCELINE! THAT WAS SO COOL!" Blue is bouncing in his seat, a baby blue lawn chair with stars all over. Fitting.

"you could say he's star struck." Stretch chimes in, Red, Mutt, Sans, you, and Marceline all laughing while Black loses his marbles.

"YES! WOWEE INDEED, MY DEAR!" Papyrus calls out, his grin everlasting on his face. "AND QUIT IT WITH THE PUNS!"

"what? _tibia_ honest, that was pretty good." Sans chuckles, and gets the same laughter from before.

"MWEH! DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!" Blue's gloves ball into fists, pouting a bit.

"Why thank you, I'm glad you liked it, no _fib-_ ulas." You giggle at your own pun, which earns more laughter.

"damn, _schatz_ , didn' know ya had i' in ya." Mutt grins at you. You smile back.

"I WASN'T AWARE MY PET WASN'T TOTALLY INCOMPETENT. YOU MAKE BAD DECISIONS, BUT THIS WASN'T ONE OF THEM." Black stated blankly. You blinked. Well, it wasn't a total insult.

"Thanks." You nod, smiling still.

"I-I'm actually curious about something, Sans?" Marceline tilts her head a little. Sans looks over. "How d-did you have this equipment already? Do you p-play?"

"nah. this is mine, actually." Stretch speaks up, you and Marceline looking over to him.

"Oh, shit, you play?:" You lean forward, and Stretch smiles, stubbing out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray.

"yeah. sorry, should've mentioned it's mine. sans sings sometimes, but only, like, weird al and shit." Stretch and Sans chuckle a little. You blush a bit, embarrassed. Stretch should've mentioned that it was his. "i know, but your curiosity was cute." You raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't say anything." You place the mic back where you were given it, and suddenly everyone looks really nervous. You look over to Marceline, who shrugs. 

"right, sorry, thought you did. my bad." Stretch pulls out another cigarette, quickly lighting it.

"Oooh-kay. Anyway, I'm glad you guys liked it. Anyone else wanna come out with secret music skills to the musicology major?"

"ashtray, mutt, papyrus, n' edge 'ave a band." Red speaks up. "but i think we all sing." He grins as Edge storms over, whacking Red upside the skull, who groans and rubs the back of it with his hand.

"YOU IMBICILE! ... BUT YES, I AM A PART OF A BAND." Edge grunts, crossing his arms.

"That's really cool! We should see you play some time, you guys play in front of crowds?"

"sometimes. what, you wanna come 'n' see us play, honey bee?" Stretch smirks, gaining back his smooth confidence he had before.

"I'd totally come and watch if you did." You hummed. Marceline giggled, and you look over. She's still laughing. "Hell are you laughing at?"

"Nothing, d-don't worry about it." She shakes her head, putting her guitar away. Everyone else is starting to take their parting ways, hearing Edge and Red arguing as they walk away.

"No, asshole, tell me!" You giggle, pushing her a little bit. You two continue your banter, heading inside after. You have lunch, having some more discussion. More lingering touches from Stretch, some worried glances between brothers that you don't notice. Marceline goes home after lunch, waving goodbye to the brothers who stuck around. You return to the garage to get your guitar, not wanting to put it somewhere where someone can bump into it. You reach down, going to lift your case over your shoulder.

"🕈︎☟︎⚐︎ ✌︎☼︎☜︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎✍︎"

You turn around to the weird noise. Was that fucking... 8-bit? What?

"Sans?" You call out. No answer. "Stretch?" You wait a moment. No answer. "Guys, this isn't fucking funny. What the Hell was that?" You say the last part silently to yourself. "Who was that?" You wait again.

And wait.

And wait.

But no one answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> translations:
> 
> kotenok: kitten/kitty  
> schatz: treasure
> 
> ** some grammar mistakes and lacking of details were added and fixed in this chapter
> 
> HI BY THE WAY if you wanna post some fanart? idk maybe if you'd like to do that uhhh yeah you can put it under the hashtag #T3G (because uhh [t]his [g]irl's [g]ot [g]uts get it *laugh track*) in any social media (preferably tumblr, twitter, or deviantart) and i'll link it here!!! i'd like to see your guys' renditions of what i write it'd be cooool like that anyway okay here


	4. (You're The) Devil in Disguise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up to something unnerving. Edge reminds you of his stance on your presence. Someone follows you to work, meeting someone new. Some of the boys seem to be on edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg heyyy we hit 400 hits and we're on our way to 500! that's a lot!!! that's halfway to 1,000 people!!!!!! that makes me nervous but okay! i have been planning big events in my head and i have to figure out how to get there. i have another ao3 account on here and i'm mad that i make up things in my head better for that story than i do this one. maybe i'll slip some references in here? who knows. anyway enjoy the new chapter yaaaay :3
> 
> songs in this chapter:  
> daddy issues - the neighborhood  
> (you're the) devil in disguise - elvis presley
> 
> trigger warnings for this chapter:  
> \- implied domestic abuse
> 
> if the text font change bothers you, click/tap 'hide creator's style'
> 
> ** edits were made to also properly tag the trigger, sorry about that

Okay, you have to admit, these dudes were _exhausting_ . Not that they weren’t nice, but they weren’t exactly calm all the time. With Red and Mutt’s consistent flirting, which Stretch did, too, but his was more subtle and in a way you could actually enjoy, Papyrus, Blue, and Black’s boisterous personalities, and Sans’ laziness to just sit back on his ass and watch this all unfold, yeah this shit’s hard to handle. But, lucky enough, Edgelord left you alone. You can’t help but think back on him looking at you when you were playing, though. He _actually_ looked interested, which is an odd feat for him. After Marceline left, dinner was… alright, Edge refusing to come out of his room and Red was left unsupervised and left to his own devices so he could hit on you all he liked. Other than that, Sans kept everyone in line enough for you to enjoy it somewhat. You approached your room, made up some things left in suitcases that you couldn’t unpack earlier. Sleep comes to you easily.

**_trigger warning: implied domestic abuse_ **

\--

_“Jesus Christ, Y/N, can’t you do anything right? This is the third fucking time this week that you didn’t answer the phone. I told you that this shit is unacceptable. I already let Marceline into the band after your shit sob story for her, and this is how you repay me?” Asher approaches you. Your heart is beating tattoos into your ribcage, leaving stories that will be left untold and unseen by anyone else. You sniffle, forcing yourself to take a shaky, unstable breath in, letting yourself speak._

_“I-I told you, I h-had to t-hake more shifts at w-work!” You rebuttal, trying to make the best out of the worst. It wasn’t working. You weren’t_ lying. _The rent of the house you had signed under was fucking insane. He rolls his eyes, veins popping out of his forehead like they were threatening to burst at the seams of his tanned skin._

_“Stop fucking crying or I’ll give you a reason to.” You notice his hands balled into fists, his knuckles white from the grip. You already had a hard time giving a cover story from the bruise on your ribs to Jackie yesterday, and you weren’t about to make another split second excuse for him any time soon for his shit. You try to take deep breaths in, desperation taking over to calm yourself before he does something. You see him lift his fist to the air._

_\--_

**_trigger warning: end_ **

You’re awoken in a gasp. Your heart is raging fire like it was in your dream. This was a common nightmare for you ever since that day. It was hard to keep this a secret from your therapist, but now you have all the reason to tell her. You plan on staying away from him for good this time, having undeniable evidence from your own two eyes that something was going on. Pushing past that, a frustrated sigh escapes your lips, looking to the moonlight that shone into your room and on your floor beneath the bend of your blackout curtain. You lift a hand to rub your eyes, reaching for your phone on your nightstand and checking the time. 4:14 a.m. Your shift doesn’t start until 10, but you’ve gotten approximately 2 hours of sleep being a night owl. Curse your fucking ex.

You silently escape your room, leaving the door open a smidge as to not create any extra noise, the soft patter of your feet hitting the wood of the stairs as you make your descent towards the kitchen. The entire living area is dark, only the moonlight giving mediocre help to you. You turn, going to raid the fridge, and then-

Red eyelights stare back at you. They’re the size is pinpricks, staring deep into your eyes. You flinch a little at the sight, Edge’s overwhelming form looming over you, unintentionally or not it sends a shiver down your spine as goosebumps litter your skin.

“What Are You Doing.” He says to you plainly. His tone is already laced with annoyance. You didn’t realize you were holding you breath until you released it to speak, clearing your throat gently.

“I was just… getting some water, sorry.” You whisper, almost mumbling to the point of being inaudible. You try to move, but Edge moves with you. You lift an eyebrow, as if he could see you, and slowly try shuffling forward, Edge still refusing you move. You huff, now becoming more frustrated than nervous. Edge is intimidating, and tall, and is overwhelming with his presence, but your patience only runs so thin. “ _Excuse me._ ” You state firmly, your volume raised a little more looking Edge back into his eyelights, like you having balls ever worked against people like this before.

“I Wish To Speak With You. Get Your Water, Quickly, And We Shall Discuss This At The Dining Room Table.” Edge isn’t phased by your attempts at being intimidating, and pushes past you, knocking into your shoulder with his long arms.

You have to hold back for every thing that is holy, unholy, and anything that gives a fuck to just turn to him and ask what his problem is. Your body runs on autopilot, moving to get your water. Before you go to the Dining Room, where you can see Edge is wearing… glasses now? Since when. He clears his throat enough for you to hear him, causing your arms to flinch a little. You realize his eyelights are on you, waiting. You quickly join him, sitting across the table from him. Your heart has slowed from seeing him at first, but his demeanor leaves you anxious. He carries his shoulders away from his skull, chest up a little to seem bigger, the shining of the light from outside casting a blue-ish light on his form. Fat fucking ego if you ask yourself.

“What do you need?” You bring the cup to your lips, taking the desperate sip you need for your dehydrated mouth.

“I Need You To Know How I Feel About You Being Here. To Set Some Ground Rules That The Others Will Have No Place To Speak Above Me In. I Demand That You Heed This Not As A Warning, Not As A Request, But As An Order.” Edge begins, albeit very annoyingly. “I Do Not Wish For A Human To Be Involved In My Living Space, But I Hear That Sans Plans To Keep You Here Until You Have Somewhere To Live. This Causes Disruption In My Life. _You_ Cause Disruption. So, You Will Stay Out Of My Way.” Your stomach drops. What the Hell? Who the fuck does this guy think he is? “If I Ask You To Do Something, Do It. Do Not Question Me, Or I Will Not Be Afraid To Discipline. Are We Clear?” Your eyebrows furrow. You speak before you give yourself time to think.

“Who the fuck do you think you’re speaking to?” You push yourself to stand, looking right into his eyelights, squinting a little. He lifts a browbone.

“You. Do As I Say, And Your _Temporary_ Stay Here Won’t Be As Terrible As We’re Both Expecting It To Be.”

“ _You_ . As terrible as _you’re_ expecting it to be. I think the guys here are pretty cool, _including_ your brother. Black might be unbearable sometimes, but you are much worse. Why are you so stuck on your high horse? Telling me what I can and can’t do. I don’t give a _fuck_ if you’re related to Sans or not, I refuse to be spoken to that way. I’ve had a long ass night and I will not let it be ruined by some egotistical, small dicked douchenozzle who thinks he can shove poor girls like me around. Not happening. I’ll stay out of your way, but I won’t bend so easily.” You take a breath out, taking a long sip of your water. He looks furious, but not moving from his place.

“Good. I’m Glad We Came To An Agreement.” He stood as well, turning and going out of the kitchen. You’re glaring daggers at him, waiting until he exits the kitchen. You release your nails that were subconsciously digging into the wood of the table, whispering a silent and unheard apology to Sans. You sigh, looking down to your water glass.

“This is probably gonna be the longest ‘temporary’ stay of my entire life.”

\--

The next day came slowly. You didn’t sleep until 6, leaving you with only 4 and a half hours of sleep. _Wonderful._ Breakfast was nice, Blue and Papyrus making… breakfast tacos. You could barely stomach it, but Mutt stretched over the table and ate your food for you, thanking him silently as he winked at you. Red had stared at you all morning, suggestively of course. You excused this as normal behavior, grabbing a banana from the kitchen when your plate appeared as empty, complimenting Blue and Papyrus as you scrambled to get ready. You never realized how much time these boys really took of your time. They were fairly independent, yet many of them were interested in you. You get it, though, new faces, and the more excitable of the family wanted to get to know you. You decide on something [cute](https://imgur.com/nawu8qg), but good for the weather, wearing your riding boots over to work. The air still had a bit of morning chill. You decided to do your face as well, not wanting to reveal the puffy hot mess your eyes were making from the previous night.

“lookin’ good, _kotenok._ ” Red purrs as you walk by, one of his red eyelights flashing in a wink. You roll your eyes back, sticking a tongue out. “hard t’ ge’, huh? i like tha’ in m’ women!” He calls out as you skip out of the door, clutching your motorbike keys, Stretch glaring at him from the kitchen as you left.

When you finally stepped into work, the tension was released from your chest. It wasn’t anything special, just a shop that sold instruments. It felt as close to a home as you could get for now. Marceline had drifted into your mind, knowing you left her alone in that big house. You couldn’t help but let out a small sigh, thinking about her again. The shine of metal entered your vision, out of the corner of your eye as you whipped your head around to see it. Nothing was there, so you blamed the guitars that were surrounding you in the display room. You paced a little, the shine coming again, but as you turned back around to your original position, a familiar face had caused you to squeak a little.

“don’ be so scared, _schatz_ , i’s only me.” Mutt chuckles, the raspiness of his quiet voice making you blush.

“What the Hell are you doing at my job?” You hissed, pouting a little.

“aw. don’ give me tha’ face. i’m here t’ watch over ya. m’lord had requested i come t’ make sure ya aren’ gettin’ int’ trouble.” Mutt smirked, looking down at you. You didn’t notice how tall he is. Not as tall as Papyrus or Edge, but still enough to make you feel small, and he noticed this.

“And why is that? I’m a big girl, I made sure to put my big girl pants on this morning.” You crossed your arms.

“‘m sure y’ did. look good in ‘m, too.” Mutt chuckles, his hands behind his back. You can’t help but hope the universe lets you roll your eyes all the way back into your head, making Mutt laugh again. “jus’ stay outta trouble, n’ my job will be easier. won’ bother ya.” One of his eyelights flashes off and on in a wink.

“Fine, but make sure you keep your distance.” You glared at him, watching him vanish from your vision in a flash, leaving behind the familiar scent of rain filling your nose. It’s refreshing, but you don’t let it distract you as you return to work.

Work was slow. Agonizingly slow. It left you to think a lot, and for Mutt to bother you. But Asher slowly crept into your mind, dreading the thought of having to make a date with him so he can move out his shit. You don’t want to know what would happen if you two were left alone to your own devices, thankfully you had your boys by your side. You _might_ take Red next time. He may spark an attitude two seconds too early, but the intimidation might help. Edge would _definitely_ help on that part, but he made his point last night.

What was that all about anyway? Why did he dislike you so heavily? It hadn’t been that long since the surfacing of the monsters. Six years, maybe? You understood the disliking of humans for some monsters. I mean, humans _did_ lock them underground for thousands of years with the intention of keeping them down there forever never to see the light of day, but the fear of losing control and the unknown was a common one among humans. I mean, Hell, a lot of mental illness derived from the point of making brash decisions to stay in control because of chemical imbalance. Your anxiety made you do the same thing. Think that something horrid would happen, and in fear of losing control, you shut yourself out. Way too often, in fact. It made you lose a lot of jobs, fail in school quite a lot. It made you suffer, lose out on a lot of opportunities. However, music let you have the escape from your mind into a reality of your own. From a young age, music had became your life. Your parents quickly caught on, trying to slightly waver you from your ‘fever dream’.

But enough of them. Fuck them. There was a reason you left. Sure, you had escaped stability, food in your stomach, a roof over your head, but none of that mattered when they treated you like garbage. They didn’t deserve a scrap of your time. You only stayed because you were a scared teenager with nowhere to go. You needed to desperately get away, finally grabbing onto the ledge of the seemingly bottomless pit that you were thrown into at a young age with the top nowhere in sight. Thankfully, before you could spiral into more depressing thoughts, the familiar tune of one of your favorite [songs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnLAa6_hB9A) began to play through the building. You couldn’t help the smile on your face, hands held onto each other behind your back as you waited for a customer to come in.

**Take you like a drug**

**I taste you on my tongue**

**You ask me what I’m thinking about**

**I tell you that I’m thinking about**

**Whatever you’re thinking about**

**Tell me something that I’ll forget**

**And you might have to tell me again**

**It’s crazy what you do for a friend**

You sigh the breath you didn’t realize you were holding in. You seem to do that a lot while lost in thought, this song being one of the ones that solemnly reminded you of harder times. It was comforting in an odd way, though. It wrapped you like a tattered, yet loved blanket. Patches sewn onto it in desperation to stay in one piece.

**Go ahead and cry, little girl**

**Nobody does it like you do**

**I know how much it matters to you**

**I know that you’ve got Daddy Issues**

**And if you were my little girl**

**I’d do whatever I could do**

**I’d run away and hide with you**

**I know that you got daddy issues, and I do too**

You were brought back to a time when Asher and you were listening to this song. You were making dinner, it was just you and him at the time. Blissfully unaware of who he was texting. You couldn’t help but find yourself singing along to the tune, uncaring for others who heard it. You sung in front of people all the time anyways, and this particular part of the store was devoid of life.

**(You) I tried to write your name in the rain**

**But the rain never came**

**So I made with the sun**

**The shade**

**Always comes at the worst time.**

**You ask me what I’m thinking about**

**I tell you that I’m thinking about**

**Whatever you’re thinking about**

**Tell me something that I might forget**

**You might have to tell me again**

**It’s crazy what you’d do for a friend.**

You sing the chorus again, the melody ringing in your ears like a mantra. You felt a presence, and looked around to make sure it wasn’t a customer. You were… relieved to find you were on your own, feeling your chest rumble with the lower notes you sung.

**(You) I keep on trying to let you go**

**I’m dying to let you know**

**How I’m getting on**

**I didn’t cry when you left at first**

**But now that you’re dead it hurts**

**This time I gotta know**

**Where did my daddy go?**

**I’m not entirely here**

**Half of me has disappeared**

**Go ahead and cry, little boy**

**You know that your daddy did too**

**You know what your mama went through**

**You gotta let it out soon, just let it out**

Suddenly, you heard another voice singing along with you. It was a deep, almost familiar rumble, but in a way you never heard before. It jarred you a little, but the trance singing gave you left you undisturbed.

**(You and ???) Go ahead and cry, little girl**

**Nobody does it like you do**

**I know how much it matters to you**

**I know that you got daddy issues**

**And if you were my little girl**

**I’d do whatever I could do**

**I’d run away and hide with you**

**I know that you got daddy issues, and I do too**

**If you were my little girl**

**I’d do whatever I could do**

**I’d run away and hide with you**

**I know that you got daddy issues, and I do too**

The music played out, leaving you alone again. Your eyes wander for a possible suspect, but were left without an answer.

“Mutt?” You ask quietly, almost talking to yourself. You waited a patient moment, letting him come out of the dark, to no avail. You shrug, wandering a bit. A new [ song ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emjLXdsj6xA) begins to play.

Suddenly, the air shifted, and your attention was brought to a figure walking through the open doors that left room for anyone to come in. He was a tall man wearing a long black trenchcoat, almost unbefitting for the weather, but you couldn’t blame him, the wind March brung to the city was almost unbearable. His dark brown hair was slicked back, leaving his piercing dark brown, almost black stare to drive itself into you, matching the hair on his head. His hands were folded behind his back, black dress shoes on his feet. Rectangular glasses also were snug on the bridge of his nose. After a moment of staring he spoke.

“I didn’t want to interrupt, but your singing was formidable, entrancing, even.” He commented. You smile to him, a small blush dusting your cheeks. His baritone voice boomed through the almost empty room, electric guitars held display on the walls, and it almost felt like his voice alone could strum the strings.

“O-oh, thank you.” You nod your head sheepishly, brushing a rogue hair behind your ears. “I hope I didn’t interrupt or distract you. Did you need help finding anything in particular today, sir?” You take a step forward to approach him. He shakes his head with an amused smile. You didn’t notice how tall he was until now, taller than Edge, even. His presence was overwhelming, but not enough to make you nervous.

“Nothing specific.” He held his hand out, his ivory skin revealed to the light. It almost looked… cold. “My name is Averia Serif Megrim.” You quietly hold your hand out in return, but before you could shake it, he turns it over to show the back of your hand, raising it up to his lips, pressing a small kiss to it. “But please, call me Megrim, _mi pequeña melodía._ ” He whispers the pet name quietly, making your blush worse. He chuckles at this, releasing your hand as you embarrassingly bring it back to your side. “I won’t bother you any longer, so I will be taking my leave. Be sure to keep in touch, harmony.” He brings his hands back behind his back, exiting from the room, giving you two new pet names to linger in your mind. The air shifts back, and you can feel a small breeze behind you, Mutt’s scent returning. You turn around, flinching a little as you're pulled out of your silent trance.

“where th’ hell did ya go?!” Mutt calls out a little. He looks freaked out and winded, his sharp teeth baring in the fluorescent light of the shop. You shake your head, your eyebrows knit together.

“What do you mean? I was-”

“singin’, yeah, i know. but i mean…” He gets lost in thought. He reaches into his pocket, bringing a dog treat to his mouth. “i’s like, ya disappeared f’r a secon’.” Mutt shrugs his jacket further onto his shoulders, looking weary almost.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. A customer came in, introduced himself, and left, but other than that nothing else happened.” Except when he kissed you and called you _his_ little melody (thank you almost ten years of Spanish class) and harmony, but you left that part out. He wasn't entitled to your business and you had a gut feeling that that would upset him. Mutt looked down to you, squinting his eyesockets. You both stood in silence for a moment.

“alrigh’. well if ya see anythin’ weird, or anyone gives ya trouble, jus’ call f’r me n’ i’ll b’ there.” Mutt nods, vanishing again into the depths of wherever he is, his magic leaving his scent of rain behind.

The rest of your work shift goes smoothly. Helping out customers, checking them out, helping with some broken instruments and repairs, wandering and dreaming of your favorite instruments. More worrying about Asher and Jackie, but that didn’t last long, those thoughts continuously interrupted or completely depleted. The kiss was also lingering on your mind the most. This man didn’t know you, yet he kissed you(r hand) and gave you _two_ pet names like you’d known each other for years. The man was attractive, yeah, but you know, stranger danger. Yes. Stranger danger. As you clocked out for the day, your phone pang with a notification, reaching into the pocket of your pleather skirt (which thank the stars) and reading it.

_[New Message]_

**[Unknown Number]** : Remember to keep in touch. - Megrim

Your cheeks heated up again. How did he get your number? You shook your head in disbelief, quickly texting him back. Was this quick acceptance foolishness? Was it naivety?

 **[You]** : Don’t worry, I won’t :)

You set his name to ‘Extraño’, smiling to yourself to your own wit, holding your phone with your keys you also pull out of your pocket, placing your phone in the fanny pack strapped to your bike, and head back to the house.

The house was tense. Red, Mutt, and Stretch seemed to be waiting for you in the living room. Black was standing by the door when you opened it, his hands on his hips while tapping his foot.

“Yes?”

“HUMAN.” He replies sternly.

“Black.” You reply to him plainly. Where is he getting at this, and why does the air feel so tight?

“WHAT HAPPENED AT WORK TODAY.” Black spoken like you had died or something.

“Nothing?” You shrug, lifting an eyebrow in question, trying to move past him, but he only moves in front of you. You shake your head a little, moving to the other side, but he, again, moves in front of you. “Okay, what in the Stars is everyone’s issue?” You look around, lifting your hands a little in defeat.

“wha’ happened a’ work is wha’s wrong, _schatz._ ” Mutt speaks out to you from the large couch, his slippered feet kicked up on the bean bag in front of him.

“What do you mean _what happened at work?_ Nothing _happened_.” You shrug. His eyesockets glare at you. You glare right back. “Mind to tell me, since I seemed to black out during my shift?” You step towards the living area, Black letting you through this time.

“i would _love_ t’, actually. ya walked int’ th’ guitar room, y’ didn’ come ou’, and suddenly, y’were there.” Mutt spoke, fixing his posture as he did so. You stared at him challengingly.

“Would you like to know what _actually_ happened?”

“no. y’already told me. if y’d like t’know the truth, i told everyone else for y’ _safety_. i went t’y’ workplace on m’lord’s behalf for a reason, n’ i’s a good thing i did. y’could’ve been ‘n danger.”

“But I wasn’t.”

“BUT YOU COULD HAVE.” Black approached from your right side. You looked towards him.

“But I _wasn’t_ , can you please stop worrying now? Look, he just..” Your head throbbed as you tried to tell your story, but it was almost as if something inside of you was compelling you not to tell. You lifted a hand to rub at your temple, sighing. Everyone’s looking at you weird. “I’m fine now, that’s all that matters, okay?"

“y’good, kitten?” Red now joined in. You nodded.

“Yeah, just a headache. I’m fine, promise, probably my meds again. I’m gonna go take a nap.” You turned towards the staircase, taking yourself upstairs. The skeletons sat oddly quiet behind you, feeling their stares burn into your back until you were no longer there.

“she’s lyin’. tha’ bastard, whoever i’ was, took ‘er somewhere.” Mutt leaned back onto the couch. “couldn’ see anyone goin’ in ‘r ou’, made sure of i’.”

“are you sure, though? i don’t like when you pull shit like this, mutt.” Stretch sighs, moving around his sucker behind his teeth, clattering against his bones softly.

“‘m positive.” Mutt nods his head.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU GO AFTER HER?” Black placed his hands onto his hips. Mutt sighed, rubbing his hand against his skull.

“i.. couldn’? hear me ou’. i’ was jus’ a weird feelin’ i go’. i’ was li’e somethin’ was tellin’ me t’ no’ bother ‘er. i swear i had my eye on ‘er the entire time.” Mutt leaves the statement to linger in the air.

“so, wha’ you’re tellin’ me, is that some _mudak_ uses magic? human ‘r monster?” Red stuffs his hands into his hoodie pockets.

“no clue. didn’ see anyone go in.” Mutt chews on his dog bone absentmindedly, leaning into himself. He felt… _bad_ for not being there. He wasn’t an outwardly emotional person, but he definitely wasn’t cruel.

“that’s not possible.” Stretch was now enamored with this as well. His brain just lingered on how that could possibly happen. How he could just… lose track of her for a second. Who knows what could’ve happened if this supposed customer have hurt her?

“OF COURSE NOT. NO ONE IS CAPABLE OF THAT SORT OF POWER. TAKING SOMEONE SOMEWHERE ELSE AND RETURNING THEM, BUT THE VICTIM IS COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED?” Black spoke in a quieter tone, but still loud enough to be an outside voice.

“i’m assumin’ ya noticed tha’ she was avoidin’ sayin’ what was _really_ goin’ on ‘n there.” Red scans his eyelights across everyone. They all sat there in silent complentation, pondering this dimension, possibly universe shifting nonsense.

“i mean, it seemed like she made an attempt, i guess. she didn’t tell you anything more than it just being a customer, right?” Stretch turned his skull to Mutt, who nods in response. Stretch finds himself sucking on a bare stick from stress, switching it out for another new sucker. They look up to see someone entering the room, Red smirking.

“yo, ‘nilla. c’mere.” Red snickered over to him. He may have said what he did in a condescending tone, but what they needed to speak about was far more serious. Sans looked over to his edgier counterpart, rolling his white eyelights in his sockets.

“what.” Sans quietly and cautiously approached, noticing their edge. His brow bone lifted a bit. “why so _sternum_?” He chuckles to himself with his casual grin.

“y’know _what._ ” Mutt suddenly crunched down on his treat, dragging more of it beyond his sharp teeth.

“DON’T THINK WE HAVEN’T NOTICED YOU TRYING TO SWERVE AROUND THE FACT THAT I DO NOT EVEN NEED TO COLLAR MY PET TO KNOW WHAT’S MINE. WE _ALL_ CAN FEEL IT.” Black had crossed his arms. Sans bunched his phalanges in his jacket pockets.

“i’ll tell her when the time comes.” Sans pushes himself into the kitchen, reaching in for his condiment of choice.

“ya can’ wait foreva.” Red snarled a little.

“will if i try.” Sans snapped back.

“you’ve had this bond far before any of us had it, why are you waiting so long for? it only pains her _and_ us the longer we wait.” Stretch added, looking between the two skeletons. Sans uncapped the condiment, squirting it into his open jaw to the disgust of the others.

“i don’t want her freakin’ out and giving chase. rejection would only make it worse for all of us.” Sans shrugged.

“she’s obviously gotten along with everyone. i mean, she could’ve been real angry a’ me f’r followin’ ‘er to ‘er work, but she subtly accepted it. plus, one day ‘r another soon enough she’ll start t’ wonder why we all look alike.” Mutt had a new dog treat in his maw, gnawing on it stressfully.

“righ’. sooner th’ better.” Red smiles, staring down at Sans. Sans clenches his empty fist again, They were unfortunately right. It was hard keeping up the gist of being cousins that looked a lot alike, and it was even harder when his malicious alternatives looked almost just like him and his brother and could mistake them for Sans and Papyrus themselves. Nothing’s happened yet, but he can’t help but feel the paranoia of _him_ slipping up and causing something that they couldn’t cover up so easily.

“on ‘nother note, tha’ dude from her work. ge’ th’ text yet, sleepin’ beau’y?” Mutt called out to Sans, chuckling to himself.

“YOU SHOULDN’T BE SO CARELESS WHEN IT COMES TO HER SAFETY.” Black stood now, approaching Sans. Sans shrugs.

“she’s fine now. it’s worrying, don’t get be wrong, but i’m not one to _fibula_.” Sans took another guzzle of the ketchup. “she’ll come to me at her own pace and ask. then i’ll tell her.”

“before or _after_ someone eventually decides t’ swing by n’ claim her? y’know _they_ can feel i’, too.” Red continues to look at Sans, baring a stare deeply into his eyelights. Sans was caught in the middle. Yes, he desperately wanted to tell her that they were all alternate versions of the brothers from alternate timelines due to the fiddling of a stupid machine he should have left alone in the first place, but he also didn’t want to send her off running. He didn’t want to feel that rejection. You were one of his best friends ever since he rose to the surface. He knew he could feel the bond forming, and before he knew it, he was all strung up on her.

“fine. i’ll do it soon. just be patient, alright? _humer_ me, here.” Sans chuckled lightheartedly at his own joke. No one seemed amused. They all idly went back to their own devices, Black approaching his brother again and barking some order to him. Sans released the tension from his shoulders, shortcutting to his room upstairs.

He knew it had to be soon. They all knew. He couldn’t risk it. He couldn't risk losing her. He couldn't risk losing _this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _you fooled me with your kisses_   
>  _you cheated and you schemed_   
>  _heaven knows how you lied to me_   
>  _you're not the way you seemed._
> 
> translations:  
> kotenok - kitten  
> schatz - treasure  
> mi pequena melodia - my little melody


	5. Is This A ...?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You help Blue and Papyrus make dinner, but everyone is much more interested in your happenings when you get a text. Black keeps up on his promise on taking you clothes shopping on your day off and you begin to wonder if this is what you think it is. Sans asks you something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOWOWOWOWOW 60 kudos and over 500 hits!!! thank you guys so much!!! i'm really tempted to add a song in each chapter but i know y'all will get like super over it. no songs in angst heavy chapters, of course, or maybe i will i have no idea i just love comforting music in stressful situations
> 
> SOME NEWS!!! i am currently in the works of a gaster x reader fic! i've read so many like thrown amidst monsters and living with a lich by AllocateAloe, and somewhere between red and orange by AdelyaDarling and DarlingLove just to name a few! i really want to write something on the serious-gaster-is-basically-an-immortal-deity x reader who doesn't think she's shit but is actually really cool side, so if that is something that interests you please let me know in the comments! okay let me stop annoying you now.
> 
> translations in end notes! enjoy the new chapter :3
> 
> if the text font change bothers you, click/tap 'hide creator's style'

The next day was… bearable. After Blue spilt the news that everyone knew about your new little friend from work, almost everyone was irritable. You went to work, which Mutt was to never leave your side, even if that meant he had to stay in your line of vision and you’d have to see him… chewing on a dog bone? You shake your head at the sight, to which he laughs at. And, better yet, he followed you to _school_ , too. No more privacy, you guess. But you understand. You just met this new guy and they’re just worried… right? This was a healthy amount of worrying, right? Another thing to mention to your therapist.

Edge didn’t seem to care about this new person, of course, after your little endeavor the day before, things were stale and uneventful between the two of you, save for his barking orders towards his brother to leave you alone. You were still unsure of _why_ he kept Red away from you when he got to be too much for your liking, but it was almost like he knew when Red would be there to bother you, only to whisk him away to do something, whatever it was. Blue insisted you help him cook dinner that night, and it was, to say, plenty eventful.

“No, Blue, you can’t put glitter in tacos.” You groan, for the fifth time that night as you struggle to take the nonedible glitter away from th skeleton. It was fine if it was edible, of course, you didn’t care, but humans have digestive systems and if it sees something it doesn’t like, it’ll take means to dispose of it which you don’t really feel like dealing with.

“WHY NOT? IT MAKES THE FOOD LOOK AMAZING! NOT AS AMAZING AS THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, OF COURSE!” He stands proudly next to you, the star shaped eyelights gleaming a soft blue in his otherwise black sockets. You shake your head with a smile. At least _he_ wasn’t mad at you for moving on so quickly, which kind of shook you. This was one for the therapist.

“I know that, of course, but I’m a human, with organs, and if the organs detect something it doesn’t like, it goes out, and I’d rather not throw up my guts tonight.” You nod to him.

“i don’ mind helpin’ ya with tha’, kitten.” Red purrs from the living area, a bottle of mustard in his hands, opening his jaw as you look over to watch him stick out a long, glowing red tongue, mustard piling onto his tongue as he slowly brings it behind his sharp teeth. You roll your eyes to his more than obvious flirting.

“Yeah, not happenin’, so that’s why we’re putting the glitter away from now- Papyrus, please don’t put vinegar and honey into the spaghetti water.” You turn your back to find Papyrus doing exactly what you are accusing of, poorly hiding the condiment bottles behind him. He looks nervous.

“I-I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT Y-YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, MY DEAR!” Papyrus was trying to desperately un-incriminate himself, even though your eyes saw literally right through him.

“Papyrus. Now, please. I’ve known you for so long, and I leave you to your own devices for a mere second, and here you are still doing the same stuff I _thought_ I taught you out of.” You hold your hand out expectantly. Blue giggles behind you, which is _adorable_ , Papyrus slowly giving in to your sudden bossiness. You watch him with the same patient smile on your face, feeling the chill of the bottles fill your warm palm. “Thank you, Pap.” You open the fridge, putting them back before he could swipe them again, which he _has_ done, mind you. You turn back to the table, going back to helping Blue spread out the copious amounts of garlic bread you all have to make.

“NYEH! THIS IS MERELY CULINARY EXPERTISE YOU ARE SEEING HERE, Y/N! I CAN ASSURE YOU I KNOW WHAT I AM DOING!” Papyrus raises a gloved fist to the sky, his brow bones furrowed. You will never get used to that. Magic, you assure yourself.

“DO NOT FEAR, FOR I, TOO, HAVE CULINARY EXPERTISE! THAT’S WHY SUGAR IS CRUCIAL FOR TACO MEAT!” Blue shouts next to you, eagerly looking at you with his famous puppy eyes Stretch warned you about earlier when you came home and new Blue would ask for your help, which, thank the Stars for that.

“No. Especially no sugar. You’ll put in too much and never sleep. I don’t want to pull a feral-on-a-sugar-rush Blue from the ceiling, Stretch warned me.” You giggled a little. You felt your phone buzz in the pocket of your jeans. “Give me a sec.” You wipe your hands down before pulling out your phone.

_[New Message]_

**[Marcy <3]**: “Hey, can you come down to the house soon? Not tonight, just some time soon. Jackie texted me and said that she wanted to talk to you in person about all of this. I hate being the messenger, but she insisted. She said it couldn’t wait and apparently the guilt is eating her up inside.”

You groan. Your eyes roll back, hoping that they go into the back of your head so you don’t have to deal with the bullshit Jackie is trying to pull. But, alas, you allow it. Stupidity on your part.

“WHAT’S WRONG, Y/N?” Blue turns to you, eyelights quickly darting to your phone and back up to your eyes. You sigh, pushing your hands through your locks.

“Annoying people, Blue. And life.” You turn your head down back to your phone, fingers tapping away at the screen to send a new text to Marceline.

**[You]** : “Yeah. We can meet Friday at 7. I’ll come alone. I don’t think I can handle her just yet, she can wait.”

You slide your phone back into your pocket, snug against your backside. You return to Blue, smiling down at him. He wasn’t too short, but his confidence and perseverance was definitely one to behold.

“ANNOYING? IS IT ASHER?!” Blue says with one octave too high on the volume scale, which alerts the others.

“No, everyone, it isn’t Asher. I’ll be fine, I’m just meeting with Marceline at the old house on Friday at 7.” You nod, getting back to work, ignoring the doubtful looks of the skeletons in the living room. Along with Red, you famously got to mention, was Stretch, and Sans.

“y’sure? didn’t sound too confident on that. need an entourage?” Stretch’s brow bones raise, and you shake your head. You don’t need anyone coming to see Jackie again. Marceline was your mediator because despite that innocent act that she put on for the officers, she can definitely been an annoying yappy bitch when she wants to be. A never failing feat of hers (see: backstabber, liar, manipulator). Honestly, now that you thought about it, you could see Jackie and Asher being a good couple for each other. Seeing as they’re both conniving, evil, going behind your back to fuck in a dressing room-

“y/n?” Sans suddenly snaps you out of your train of thought. You didn’t notice, but now the pain of your nails digging into your hands enough to leave inflamed, crescent-shaped marks on your palms. Your vision is a little blurry until you blink, feeling tears falling down your cheeks. You shake your head, bringing a towel nearby up to your eyes to wipe your tears away.

“I’m okay. Sorry, just l-lost in thought.” Your breath hitches in the middle of your sentence. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. You can feel your sternum ache again, lifting your hand holding the towel to your chest. Everyone is looking at you silently. You can feel something press to your back, looking up to a concerned Papyrus. You slowly move his arm away. “I’m fine, I promise. I just, medication. I’m fine.” You nod. You place the towel down, and your heart screams at you. _Liar_ , it hisses at you. _You’re a dirty liar. They know._ It laughs. You ignore it, for now.

“ya said medication th’ las’ time. won’ work this time. speak up, kitten.” Red says over to you. Yep, they’re on to you. Screw you, anxiety. The medication is supposed to work. Oh well. Shit, what do you say? ‘ _Yeah, by the way, I’m gonna speak to the girl that made my relationship, albeit kinda shitty in the first place now that I think about it, crumble to pieces. No big deal._ ’

“WELL? WE’RE WAITING.” Black’s sudden appearance made you startled, resetting your heart, the hand that was there before back again. He glares at you, Mutt loyally by his side. They’re all expecting. You let out a shaky breath. Well, you couldn’t leave them here forever.

“Fine. W-whatever.” You shrug in defeat. “Jackie wants to speak to me on Friday. Marcy will be there as the mediator. I just,” You take a deep breath. “, don’t know if I’m ready to f-face her yet?” You can feel your voice getting higher. You _hated_ crying in front of other people. Hated it. Embarrassing shit. It made you feel weak, powerless. Your palm dug into your sternum, trying to massage out the aching feeling. You hated this already.

“hey. kid, ‘s okay.” Sans approaches you, silent stalking as ever, now everyone in an uncomfortable silence as you tried to mash down your own feelings. You shake your head.

“No, it’s _not_ okay. I don’t wanna see her stupid fucking face yet, but I know I need to. I want her dumb ass out of the house. Not hers anyway, worked my ass off for that shit.” You couldn’t help but let your loose lips fly, cursing yourself over your anger issues, becoming even more upset with yourself. You’re twenty-fucking-years-old, since when did you become such a toddler? You feel boney hands wrap around yours, Sans’ eyelights looking down to you.

“SUCH LANGUAGE.” Black spat. You glared a little.

“black, cut it out, not the time.” Sans grunts with frustration, running his phalanges over your knuckles. “yes, it _is_ okay. you don’t have to go if you don’t want to.” Sans spoke with a serious tone you’ve only heard once or twice before. You don’t respond.

“THAT’S RIGHT! AND I, THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE, CAN ACCOMPANY YOU IF YOU WISH! MY BRAVERY AND YOURS WILL COMBINE TO OVERCOME ANY OBSTACLE, MY FAIR MAIDEN!” Blue announced cheerfully next to you. You couldn’t help but giggle a little. Blue’s eyelights get brighter at your response, and you sniffle, rubbing your arm against your sleeve.

“Thank you, Blue. But fortunately, this maiden can kick ass with or without a prince charming, so I’ll be going alone.” You try to force a reassuring smile, but that doesn’t go for long, and you can feel everyone looking right through you. But you were telling the truth, you _could_ do this alone. You might have had some self doubt, but you know you _wanted_ to do this alone. It was a nice gesture from the boys beforehand to come with you, but you knew you could handle Jackie.

“y’sure? don’ wan’ ya comin’ back ‘n pieces, _schatz_.” Mutt looked down to you. You nod.

“Yes. I’m sure. I can handle Jackie fine by myself. I’m not fragile.” You joke. But everyone else seems to tense up at that, trying to look normal as you get back to dinner making. You’re glad no one else pushes for questions, it’s hard enough stuffing your emotions up your ass all the time. Maybe it’s time to up the dosage, but you knew medication couldn’t save you for long. It was only a matter of time where you’d forget and let yourself slip again. You shook your head to yourself, trying to push down _those_ feelings, too. You finally finish dinner, mixing in the taco meat with the spaghetti, which since you helped make dinner it’s actually edible, and they don’t turn out half bad. You fall into an easy slumber as well, the comfort of the food you had made sitting in your belly along with the medication you had begrudgingly taken. Was it even worth it anymore, you thought? You slept on that thought, until you were awoken by..

“Mutt.”

He smirks at you from the corner of your room. You glare daggers at him, watching him gnaw on a dog treat in his mouth. You will _never_ get used to that. Your room is dimly lit by the light coming from underneath your curtain, signaling the early morning.

“yes?”

“Why are you in my room at,” You reach over your phone. “, 8 in the morning? On a Tuesday?”

“‘s yer day off. n’ ya promised m’lord time t’ge’ y’ a new close’.” He had his hands folded behind his back. You groan, pushing yourself up while covering yourself with your comforter, running a hand through your messy morning hair. Oh, right. You did promise that. You promised to go with Black, the _bearable_ edgelord cousin of Sans. Why did they all look so alike again? Doesn’t matter.

“Cool. So, uhh, can you get out so I can change? At least put-” And, as if you manifested the damn thing, an [ outfit ](https://imgur.com/kdjA7UG) was tossed onto the bed from behind Mutt’s back. He also carefully placed a pair of your [ Demonias ](https://demoniacult.com/collections/ankle-high-boots/products/camel-203bvel) next to your bed. At least he was careful with those. You raised an eyebrow. “Did you go through my closet?”

“needed t’ge’ somethin’ tha’ was sufficien’ t’ go ou’ in. also, don’ bring ya walle’.” His smirk doesn’t release. You squint.

“At least get out. Now. Also, why?” You weren’t backing down.

“‘cause. he doesn’ wan’ ya to.” Mutt shrugged. “m’lord’s orders.”

You grunt, glaring at him and pointing towards the door. He lifted his hands in defeat, teleporting away and the familiar scent of his magic filled the air. You sighed, flopping back onto the bed. This was going to be a long day. You got up, dressed yourself, ventured to the bathroom, and put on a simple black eyeliner and black lip on for the day, a touch of blush didn’t hurt either. You smiled at yourself in the mirror, encouraging yourself. This wouldn’t be that bad. Nope. Not at all. This’ll go fine. You hear a knock on the bathroom door.

“c’mon. don’ wanna leave ‘m hangin’.” Mutt called from behind the door. You sigh.

“At least you didn’t teleport into the bathroom. I think I’d have a heart attack.” You sigh, placing the choker onto your neck in place, your hair in a half up half down, a strand of hair to frame your face on either side. You nod to yourself, opening the door. Mutt’s eyelights look you up and down.

“le’s ge’ goin’. go’ a whole day ‘ead ‘f us.” He holds his arm out. You raise an eyebrow, holding your phone close in your hand as you wrap an arm around his, skeptical of his motives. He leads you downstairs, trying to be soft with your walking since your boots can be pretty loud. You look really nice. Like, really nice. I mean, it is something you’d wear in the first place so it doesn’t really matter- wait how did they get your measurements. This thing fits like a glove.

. . .

Oh well, you guess. Not much you can do about it now, plus Mutt isn’t one for privacy, either, as you’ve seen. Not many of them give you privacy, either out of pure innocence of just wanting to hang out with you or just being perverted and flirty, hoping you catch you during something. They’re just being playful, though, you know that. As much as you feared they’d actually _try_ something, they haven’t yet, just empty… threats? Promises? You can’t exactly find the word for it, but you know it’s just their nature to be flirty so you brush it off. You feel a pang in your chest of doubt, but ignore it. You find yourself in front of a sleek black motorbike in the garage, a very excited and jittery Black standing next to it, sporting a black turtleneck, black jeans, combat boots, and a leather jacket. He’s holding a helmet.

“H-HUMAN- PET! PET. YOU LOOK LOVELY. PLEASE, G-GET YOUR HELMET ON SO WE CAN VENTURE TO O-OUR FIRST LOCATION OF THE DAY!” Black nods. You can’t help the smile that pulls at your lips, giggling. He glares at you. You slide your arm from Mutt’s, bringing your hands to your mouth to hide your giggles. “PET! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF YOUR LAUGHING!” Black demands, and you flinch a little, but you can’t stop smiling at his demeanor.

“Sorry, I just,” You try to breathe for a moment, backing away a little and letting yourself take a deep breath in and out. His jitters were honestly too adorable, no matter how ‘evil’ he tries to be. “, it’s nothing. Let’s just go. If we’re gonna ride on your motorbike, how’s Mutt gonna get there?”

“magic.” Mutt mutters to you, and you look over, seeing his fluttering his phalanges in a sort of jazz hands position. You have to hold yourself back from facepalming.

“Right. Uh, don’t you think I need better shoes to ride on a bike?” You gesture down to your nice, _expensive_ Demonias.

“NONSENSE. THE MALEVOLENT BLACK WOULD NEVER LET HIS THINGS-” You quickly interrupt Black with a raised hand, to which he raises a brow bone. 

“Black, seriously? _Things_ ? I’m a human, and I have a name. ‘Pet’ I can deal with because you’re better than a certain someone, but ‘ _thing_ ’? Yeah, goin’ too far, buddy.” You glare at him playfully, but kept your serious tone. He studies your face, you three standing for a moment in silence.

“WELL, BEFORE YOU _RUDELY_ INTERRUPTED ME, I DON’T LET MY _PETS_ GET DIRTY. NOW, ON THE BIKE, PET!” Black plopped the helmet onto his skull, clicking it on. You roll your eyes, looking down to the empty space where Mutt used to be. You grunt softly to yourself, walking over to grab your helmet from one of the many boxes stacked in there for storage. You place it over your head, clicking it on as well, and hear the engine purr from the vehicle. You turn to see Black already on top of the thing, wondering how he even got there, but you shrug and join him on the back, placing your phone in your bra with no where else to put it.

“MAKE SURE YOU GRAB ON TIGHTLY, BECAUSE THE MALEVOLENT BLACK DOES NOT SLOW DOWN.” You can hear Black’s smirk, making you giggle a little out of nerves. You were pretty anxious to see what he had in store for you, and you don’t know what the Hell you could be doing at around 8:30 in the morning, at least that’s when you last checked the clock. You wrap your arms around his midriff, and like Sans, it was as if you were wrapping your hands around a solid torso. You never questioned it, but maybe you’ll ask Sans later. You’ve known him for quite a while, it’s been… 5 years since the Monsters rose to the surface? And you’ve been friends with Sans ever since you ran into him while you were in a bar with a fake ID after you ran away. You sigh at the thought, feeling those buried memories coming to the surface. You shook your head, not letting that stupid shit get into your day. Your thinking made you almost drift out of tune, coming back to reality to find that Black in fact, did not slow down. You feel like you’re gonna crash at any minute, your hands digging into the thick of Black’s turtleneck, your knees squeezing into the sides of his pelvic bone, holding on for dear life. Thankfully, you got there in one piece, your hair wild and thrown around in the back where it was exposed to the wind, reaching back to pat it down after you take your helmet off, now on solid ground. You have never loved it more. You look around, finding yourself in downtown Mount Ebott, in the shopping district where different shops lined down the streets. You look over to Black, and the shop in front of you, Mutt leaning against the wall next to the glass entrance door.

“Ebott Cafe?” You speak your thoughts, Black nodding confidently, holding a skeletal hand out.

“INDEED! I’M GLAD YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY. NOW, FORWARD, PET!” Black announces. He does _not_ have an inside voice. You take his hand, feeling his phalanges wrap around your hand, a small blush dusting your cheeks. You grip his hand back, feeling him lead you to the cafe where Mutt nods towards you.

“lookin’ good.” Mutt comments, which makes you do a double take as you walk into the cafe and get in short line, because…

“Weren’t _you_ the one who picked this out for me? Also, stay out of my closet next time, if you need my measurements, just ask.” You directed the last bit towards the both of them, Mutt just shrugged while Black silently grumbled.

“QUIET, THE BOTH OF YOU, YOU’RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE.” Black rubbed against his temples.

“Point still stands, also, Black, way too early in the morning to be loud. I get you don’t have an inside voice, but people are staring and it’s 8:30.” You look around to the wandering eyes. You guess it looked a bit odd to be standing around with two skeletons, both with different auras radiating from them. You can hear Black clear his nonexistent throat.

“Fine.” The sudden change in tone made you a little surprised. You knew Papyrus had an inside voice, but Black? This was a takeback. Guess you spoke too soon. “Just Know I’m Not Doing This Because I Like You, But Because I Want To.” He glares at you with pinprick eyelights, and you can’t help but giggle.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, dude who forced me to keep my wallet and home and is now planning to take me out all day on a planned adventure just for me.” You place your free hand on your hip. You can tell Black is seething.

“aw, c’mon, m’lord, i know ya _cof_ -feelin’ down, but how ‘bout we relax now, yeah? go’ a big day ‘ead.” Mutt nods knowingly down at Black, who grunts, facing forward now and ignoring the two of you, and Mutt’s pun makes you smile a little, looking up to him and he returns the gaze, his right socket moving in a wink. You all eventually reach your turn in the shop, ordering your usual coffee and a bagel thanks to Black. Black orders a plain black coffee, fitting, and Mutt apparently already ate. Suspicious. You all sit at a table near the corner of the shop, away from all the other people there.

“So, is there a reason you’re being so nice to me? I thought you were malevolent.” You took a sip from your coffee. Black looks absolutely appalled.

“WHAT? O-OF COURSE THIS-” Black clears his nonexistent throat. “, Of Course This Is Malevolent, I-I Looked For The Most Malevolent Coffee S-Shops In The Area. Just F-For This.” Black nods approvingly, taking a long sip. You turn to Mutt, who shrugs, and just return to drinking your own coffee. After spending a few moments in silence, Black and you finally finish your breakfast, and he takes your hand again, leading you outside. “FINALLY! NOW THAT I AM NOT SUPPRESSED BY THE RULES OF PUNY HUMANS, OFF TO OUR NEXT DESTINATION!” Black looks up to Mutt, and you look wards Mutt, who grabs onto your shoulder and suddenly pulls you into nothingness. From the sudden shortcut, your stomach flips a little, bringing you to the next ‘destination’ Black has planned. Suddenly, a nature scene forms around you, almost falling onto the stony path beneath you. Thankfully Mutt grabbed you before you could. You looked around, seeing a park? You think?

“Are we at a park?” You ask, dumbly. “Also, warning next time we shortcut? Kind of a stomach turner without a warning.”

“sorry.” Mutt shrugs nonchalantly. Okay, that shrugging is starting to get annoying.

“WHATEVER. I’M STILL GLAD YOU’RE OBSERVATIONAL, PET. ONWARD!” Black still has a hold on your hand, Mutt no longer having a grip on you as you walk down the long path through the park. It’s silent again, the warmth of the early morning sun shining down on your all. Your dress makes you get a little warm, but it’s enough to protect you a little from the shivers the chill of the early-ness gives you. Black looks at you. “WHY ARE YOU SHIVERING?”

“i think she’s cold, m’lord. i’s early n’ march.” Mutt looks down to Black, who still has an accusatory look locked onto you. You nod in agreement.

“Yeah. It’s almost Spring, but it’s still cold, being so early in the morning.” You cross your arms beneath your chest.

“WELL DON’T JUST STAND THERE, TAKE THIS!” Black starts to take off his leather jacket.

“I don’t think it’ll fit-”

“i go’ this, m’lord.” Mutt shrugs his own coat off, and it’s absolutely huge. Mutt already has a head above you, and it hangs big on him. It smells faintly of barbeque sauce, hard liquor, and dog treat smoke. Black looks frustrated, but complies, Mutt handing you his coat. You take it, sliding it on. You giggle a little, and a periwinkle blush appears on his cheekbones.

“Oh God, this is huge on me.” You look down at yourself, the end of it almost to your feet. “Are you sure? I’m not that cold, I’ll overheat.” You look back to see a plain black t-shirt on his torso, showing off a bit of his forearm bones. You blush back.

“jus’ give i’ back when ya done.” Mutt winks, pulling out a dog treat from his shorts pocket.

“YES. DON’T OVERHEAT, WE DON’T NEED YOU PASSING OUT, PET. THAT WOULD BE QUITE UNFORTUNATE.” Black grumbles a little while he speaks, all you can do it just accept what he says and move on, not wanting to prod at his limits. The walk is nice, Black springing up some small talk and asking about your classes, which surprises you in why he’s asking. The park is nice, and you eventually give Mutt’s coat back. You take another shortcut this time, with warning, and appear in front of the shop Black was talking about taking you to. It appears like some place you’d shop at, but the price tags are something fierce.

“I’m not letting you get something for me from here! Sweet Stars, there’s nothing I’ve done for you that constitutes this, Black!” You turn to Black, and Mutt who’s snickering behind him.

“THERE’S NOTHING A SIMPLE MINDED _PET_ CAN DO TO STOP ME. I ALREADY HAVE A FEW PIECES IN MIND FOR YOU, SO DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT AVOIDING THIS.” Black calls out to you, hands on his hips. You cringe at the yelling, workers looking over. The blush from before at the park returns.

“Black, _please_ , I could not possibly- _you_ can’t-”

“YOU WILL AND I AM! NOW, PICK OUT WHAT YOU WANT, AND I’LL APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE. DON’T TAKE ALL DAY!” He nods, crossing his arms over his turtleneck, going back to looking through some racks of… quite revealing dresses. Lace, ties, chains, and corsets are all around you, and you take a large breath. This store is intimidating, and all of these outfits are more than what you could dream of getting. Leather also seems to be a theme here, any more of this and this could be considered a BDSM-type store. You giggle to yourself at the thought, and your phone pings with a text notification. Before you can reach down to read it, Mutt appears next to you, a ltering you with a swift scent of rain from his magic. You look over.

“ready t’ go?” Mutt holds his arm out to take. You nod, hooking your arm into his to take, leading you off to the register. You check out, to your embarrassment, not even paying attention to the total because you feel so guilty. You and Black return to the motorcycle, Mutt shortcutting back home with the bags.

The ride back is smooth, and silent, once again appreciating the sights as you ride back. As you think on the day, this seemed to be way more than just a little wardrobe change. First of all, for someone who speaks so highly of himself, you didn’t quite expect going out to breakfast, and a _literal_ walk in the park. Not to mention he literally bought everything for you instead. If this was a normal go out, you didn’t think he’d mind bringing anything. Also, picking out several outfits for you? In _your_ exact size? Waking you up early in the morning? A lightbulb goes off in your head, and a smirk grows across your lips. When you return to the house, you grab Black’s jacket before he can walk out after you and remove your helmet.

“Black.” You look down to him. He looks a bit nervous.

“W-WHAT!” Black pulls his arm back out of your arm.

“Can I ask you something?” You smile sweetly towards him.

“FINE. WHAT IS IT?” Black crosses his arms, his eyelights shrinking to pinpricks in your direction.

“Was this a date?” You just lay it on him, plain and simple. No time for getting around it, he knows what he’s doing. He suddenly broke out in a sweat, translucent black drops appearing on his skull. “Black. This was a date, wasn’t it?”

Silence. He’s still staring at you anxiously. You cross your own arms, and his fall to his side.

“SO WHAT IF IT WAS?!” Black stomps a little, a black blush dusting his cheeks. Your smirk is still there, and his confession makes you laugh. He looks furious with you, but you can’t help it.

“Sorry! Sorry, no, no it’s okay I don’t mind. I just wish you would have let me know beforehand so I could have made myself look presentable. This outfit is lovely but I could have done my hair nicer.” You pout a little playfully.

“YOU LOOK FINE! YOU DIDN’T NEED TO CHANGE! YOU LOOK EXACTLY HOW I WANTED!” Black raised his voice a little, and your laughter returned. “WHAT! I LOOKED ON MY DATING MANUAL AND COMPLIMENTING IS THE NEXT STEP!” You get caught a little off guard, shaking your head.

“Don’t worry about it, Black, it was wonderful. I enjoyed myself. But maybe next time we can go by ourselves?” You smirk a little. His eyes practically light up, even more than they already naturally are.

“Y-YOU’D LIKE TO GO ON A SECOND DATE? I MEAN, O-OF COURSE YOU WOULD, PET! WHY W-WOULDN’T YOU!” Black smiles, full of pride, pushing his chest out a little. You nod. You both head inside, and as Black races up to his room to hide his excitement, you feel someone tap on your shoulder. You turn to the skeleton trying to get your attention.

“go somewhere?” Sans’ eyelights trail up and down your attire. You nod.

“Black took me on a date under the guise of going to get me a ‘new wardrobe’.” You make air quotes. “But it’s okay, I had fun.” You nod. He grunts.

“hm. well, i’m sorry to pull you aside so quickly from your little date, but i really wanted to talk to you. it’s important. i know i’m not one for serious business, but i’ve actually neg _leg_ cted to tell you.” Sans nods up to you. You raise an eyebrow.

“That’s the best you could come up with?” You tilt your head a little.

“don’t go pulling my arm now.” Sans tries to save himself, but now it’s just even worse. You shake your head.

“Whatever, yeah, we can talk. Does it have to be right now? And I’m already pretty anxious about seeing Jackie later this week, so can we make it after?”

“uh, no, sorry. i don’t think anyone else will be very happy with me if i keep brushin’ this off. sorry, princess.” He shrugs. The new nickname, even though you’ve known him for a while now, still rocks you a little. It seems like everyone here has a little nickname for you. Do you care? No. Also, this reminds you that you have an appointment tomorrow for therapy. Awesome.

“Well, I have therapy in between class and work tomorrow, and I work Thursday all day, and I have Friday with Jackie that I’ll definitely need a breather from. Does Sunday work? Stars, I sound like a fucking secretary.” You sigh, which makes Sans laugh. “Don’t laugh at my misery!”

“sorry, sorry. yeah, that works. go take care of yourself, i gotta go to work.” He winks, disappearing, leaving a small whiff of an icy winter behind. You nod to yourself, your phone pinging again. You reach into your bra, pulling your phone out.

_[New Message]_

**[Megrim]** : “Hey, do you mind if we meet up soon? In next few weeks would suffice, armonía.”

“Also, you looked fantastic today. ;)”

You giggle a little to yourself, your eyebrow raising to yourself again while typing back to him.

**[You]** : “How do you know what I look like? I didn’t see you today.” 

You grip onto your phone as you walk up the stairs back to your room, your phone pinging again with another notification.

**[Megrim]** : “I happened to see you while out on errands. You looked busy, so I decided not to approach. You looked like you had fun. Message me back when you’re free so we can make plans.”

 **[You]** : “Oh, thanks :) I’ll text you when I can.”

You sigh to yourself, letting yourself fall onto the mattress, feeling it sink underneath you. How in the world did you manage to meet a cute mystery man and stay with 8 skeletons? The world may never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** edited because she's living with 8 skeletons, not 6 :)
> 
> omg surprise first date for the reader!!!! will she be ready to talk to jackie???????? idk!!!!!!!!!!!! and a cliffhanger!!!!!! with sans!!!!!!!!!!! again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and some plot about mc!! megrim wants to go out on a date!!!!! fanart appreciated under the tag #T3G :D kudos and comments also appreciated <3 updates when i can!
> 
> translation:
> 
> schatz - treasure  
> armonia - harmony


	6. Anemoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (noun) nostalgia for a time you’ve never known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank y'all for almost 800 hits!!! not much newsworthiness stuff except for i'm making a tumblr for this story to reblog fanart and post when i update my story. enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> these songs aren't actually used in this chapter, but they were listened to while writing on repeat lol:  
> don't ask - poppy  
> no wind resistance! - kinneret  
> nothing i need - poppy
> 
> also, trigger warnings for mentions of depression, running away, suicide, and self harm. they're pretty scattered, so just apply the warning and read with caution. i'll add a summary to the end.
> 
> again if the text change bothers you, tapping/clicking 'hide creator's style' does the trick :)

The hum of the motorbike is nice compared to the raging storm of thoughts in your head as you ride over to your therapy session. You honestly haven’t been in a while, and forgot you made this appointment in the first place before you went through your thing with Asher. Your life has been hectic. With classes, Asher and Jackie, your skeleboys, and now looking for a new apartment and cutting off your lease with the renter, you’ve seen yourself be a little more on edge recently, even with medication. You let out a longing sigh, pulling up into the parking lot and looking up to the building in front of you. Mostly brick, your eyes drifting to the familiar window of your therapist’s office. Before you could spiral yourself down into a world is self doubt and questioning why you’re even here, you turn off the bike, placing your helmet on the bike and pocketing the keys and placing up the kickstand. You stuff your now balled fists into the pockets of your jacket, heading off to the waiting area a floor above the lobby.

You sit down in the confining beige walls, a plain brown leather couch underneath you. A younger girl is sitting next to her supposed father, a large smile on her face and her legs kicking anticipatingly as they hung off the edge of the blue cushioned seat underneath her, eyes distracted by the wind blowing through the trees outside. Her guardian is distracted with his phone with earphones plugged into his ears, and you find yourself staring before the little girl looks up to you, a big toothy smile with a gap from a missing front tooth boring itself into you.

“Hi.” She says shyly, her hands wringing themselves gently in her lap. You raise your eyebrows, smiling back to her.

“Hey.” You return the greeting.

“You’re really pretty.” She hums. You feel a rising heat in your cheeks.

“Oh, t-thanks. You’re pretty, too.”

“Thank you.” She smiles even brighter, if that’s possible. Your sternum throbs a little at the sight of this supposedly innocent girl and what she could possibly be there for, what caused her to be in a place like this for someone so small, so seemingly unaffected by this world’s evils. It reminds you of yourself, almost like looking into a mirror. However, the biggest difference is that you wish you could have been that innocent that young.

“What are you here for?” She says loudly enough that her guardian slips an earphone out, looking towards her sternly.

“Jane, sweetie, it’s impolite to ask why people are at the doctor’s.” He keeps the same stern tone, yet still soft enough to keep her relaxed. You shake your head.

“No, it’s okay.” You reassure the man next to her, your gaze returning to Jane. “I just get nervous a lot.” You nod your head. He still looks a little reluctant, but Jane looks like she just hit the jackpot.

“I do, too! The other kids call me a crybaby, but my doctor says that it’s okay to get upset sometimes.” She nods back to you, feet still kicking excitedly.

“Your doctor is right, it’s okay to get nervous. But we’re just here because we get extra nervous, right? And the doctors are here to help us feel better.”

“Right! Daddy says I’m gonna feel all better with her help.” Jane looks to the hallway as she finishes her sentence.

“Jane?” An unfamiliar voice calls out. You reflexively look towards the hall next to you, an older woman looking out towards Jane with a gentle smile. You look back to Jane, who is wrapping her father tightly in a hug, before running off to the woman, who holds her hand out, and Jane happily takes. “I see you’re making some new friends.” She eyes you for a minute. You return her smile with another.

“Mhm! She says she gets nervous, too, but you’re here to help me feel better.” She bobs her head in a nod.

“And I hope I’m doing a good job of that.” She winks towards you, pulling Jane along, their voices fading as they enter a nearby office.

“Thanks for that, miss. She doesn’t get a lot of support anymore.” You hear the same man behind you, a large smile on his face. You nod.

“S’not a problem. I get it.” You lean back into your seat, pulling your phone from your jean pocket and checking the time. You push yourself up from your seat, sending one last smile to the man and heading to your therapist’s office. You search until you see an etching of ‘ _Dr. Hannah Lincoln_ ’ on a small silver plaque on the wooden door. You knock three times.

“Come in!” She calls out, chipper as ever. You reach down and push the door open, the scent of pine and hazelnut welcoming to your nose. The room is warm enough to not be overbearing, carpeted floors and white walls, but not enough to be hospital-y. In the corner is a bookshelf with different medical books and motivational stuff, along with some stim toys and wood squares with white wine mom quotes on them. On the wall next to it, framed diplomas. A coffee table in the center of the room with a box of tissues and a candle, two plush seats on one side and a couch on the other, pillows decorating it. Your eyes meet Dr. Lincoln’s, her still young face presenting a smile as she ceases the typing on her laptop. You close the door behind you. “It’s nice to see you after such a long time, I thought you forgot about me.” She presses herself up to stand, closing a few files and moving her laptop to the coffee table. “Come in, don’t be a stranger.” You nod to yourself, going to take your usual seat on the couch across from her as she settles herself. “So, how have things been? How long has it been since we’ve last seen each other?”

“Uh,” You think for a minute. How long _has_ it been? You remember getting the medication you needed, in your relationship with Asher, and reminding yourself that he was the one telling you that you didn’t need this anymore, so you found yourself making less and less appointments. You flinch a little, but try to hide it as the memory of Asher seeing the confirmation email to this very appointment in your inbox. “, at least a year, I think.” You cross your right leg on top of your left, letting yourself relax into the comforting plush pillows behind you, instinctively grabbing a white pillow with a panda on it and holding it close to you.

“I see old habits die hard.” She teases, and you can’t help but smile, nodding. “So what’s been going on?”

“A lot. I broke up with Asher not too long ago. I found him cheating, again. But…” You then go on to tell her about everything. Not exactly how you felt, but more like a relay of events. The catching Asher, looking for a new apartment, meeting Sans’ family, Megrim, and the meeting with Jackie tomorrow.

“Wow, seems like you’ve got a lot going on. What are you going to do about your missing band members?” She types away on her laptop, listening while you speak.

“Dunno, actually. Didn’t get to that part yet. But the skeleboys have been really helpful with helping me emotionally with Asher and stuff. They came when Asher called the cops and flipped out.” You find yourself smiling at the fond memory of them jumping up so quickly to protect you. Your chest swells with warmth. “They’re really nice to me. Some of them boisterous, a little self centered, loud, don’t really have a sense of privacy, kind of threatening. One of them actually talked to me in the middle of the night about staying out of his way, his name’s Edge, and it just… _royally_ pissed me off. I told him, as politely as I could of course, to not throw me around like some rag doll, because I am definitely not a welcome mat. I’ve dealt with that too much. I don’t really find myself getting upset anymore when people think they can take control of me. More pissed off.” You look to her for insight.

“Well, I’m proud of you for having a sense of self. Things can get pretty hectic with so many people living in one house, especially with people who don’t seem to like you at first. How did you feel when Edge confronted you?” You have to keep yourself from laughing at the cliche ‘now how does that make you feel’ line.

“Really confused. I did nothing to make him angry, but it reminded me of when Sans and I first met after I ran away. He seemed a little distant, hard to come by, not really open. He looked relaxed when he came in to the bar, seeing all of the monsters there, but when his eyes laid on me, he got really tense. He apologized to me, saying that he was surprised to see ‘someone like me’ in a mostly monster town.” You look back to the memory, a young 17 year old you reflecting in the back of your mind, dirty and a little scuffed up, a backpack and nowhere to go.

_“ hey, buddy. not from around here, are ya?” A baritone voice spoke from next to you, flinching a little. You were still nervous from being on the streets for a few months, the voice saying silently to you ‘I’ve seen a lot of shit’. _

_“No, u-unfortunately not.” You turn to smile to him, your eyes widening at the sight of the monster next to you. Bone. All bone. A wide, uncouth smile across his face. Age hangs under his eye… sockets. Sockets. White pinprick lights shine from the abyss inside of them, staring into you. You feel your sins crawling on your back, if any. Did you have any? Were you_ actually _the victim here? Or were you playing yourself? Your eyes continue to search him, instinctively for weapons, but his single, slightly scarred hand resting on the bar counter speaks for itself. You also see the bones of his hand are thicker than others, held together by seemingly nothing. A blue jacket hangs on his body, a little worn, but looks comfy. He’s wearing pink fuzzy house slippers, and black basketball shorts as well._

_“ starin’s a little rude, buddy.” The skeleton speaks. You blink. _

_“Oh, s-sorry.” You swallow, returning to your world of self-pity. You see a pearly white slide into your view. Your eyes trail back to him._

_“ sans. sans the skeleton.” He holds his hand out to you to shake. You look at it suspiciously, trying to check for the shine of a blade in his loose jacket pocket. You raise your hand, meeting his. _

_When a loud, sputtering noise fills the room. It’s a little silent, the heat of a rising blush coming to your cheeks from embarrassment. Your eyes look to his eyelights, relaxed on the outside yet tense and waiting for something. Laughs roar through the bar._

_“Good one, Sans!”_

_“Ugh, Sans, not again!”_

_Among other complaints and compliments go through the air. You can’t help but smile a little._

_“ heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it’s ALWAYS funny.” Sans keeps his grin and face to you. _

_“Y/N. Y/N the human, and I can’t help but agree.” You slowly pull your hand away. You haven’t seen someone be this nice to you, ever. You literally can’t think of the last time someone was this nice to you. Or maybe your brain was blocking out literally everything because of all the trauma. You didn’t know. All you knew right now, was that you have nothing. Absolutely zilch, except for your phone, which you don’t know when will be cut off. Your bag is on your lap, close to you so you don’t make the same mistake as last time by leaving it out of sight. You already used the card you stole, which has been frozen since then, and you don’t know when people will be tracking you by. You quickly push away the thought, returning to the present. No time like it._

_“ hey, grillbz, put whatever she gets on my tab.” Sans is now facing the fire elemental you’ve met just a few moments before, fire crackling as the scent of a campfire fills your nostrils. You aren’t sure whether to be nostalgic or disgusted, but now isn’t the time to flip out. _

_“No, it’s okay, I-”_

_“ nah, don’t worry about it. i got it. get me two orders of burg and fries, will ya?” Sans nods. You see ‘grillbz’ roll his eyelights behind his glasses, going off to the ‘Employees Only’ door nearby. _

_“Seriously, I don’t have anything to pay you back, and I really don’t feel like owing any favors.” You shake your head. Sans shoulders heave in a sigh, like he needs to breathe or something._

_“ won’t owe me nothing. ya look like you’ve only been eatin’ scraps, and  _ tibia _honest, a dead human on the streets won’t look good for us.” Sans eyes your thin body. He was right, you’ve spent the past two or three months fighting or scrounging for food, only lasting on the stuff you could sneak out of the kitchen for so long. You also_ just _notice the pun he snuck in with the morbid reality._

_“Did you just pun while speaking of my oncoming doom?” You stare at him, dumbfounded._

_“ death is nothin’  _ humerus _, i know that. just tryin’ to lighten the mood.” Sans nods as the scent of a freshly grilled burger enters your nose, watching the fire elemental slide two plates of a burger and fries in front of you. They look absolutely fucking delicious. Your mouth waters, and you swallow the saliva that builds in your mouth. “ thanks, grillbz. dig in, kiddo.” Sans reaches inside his jacket, pulling out a bottle of ketchup. You watch as he pops the cap open, a long, glass-like, blue tongue comes out past his teeth that you didn’t know could open earlier, a little. He squirts a small pile of ketchup into his mouth, your mouth opening in a hybrid of awe and disgust. His eyelights trail to you as you watch his teeth close, the ketchup disappearing. “somethin’ catch your eye, kid?" He asks nonchalantly, as if he didn’t just conjure up a mystical tongue and drink a heaping helping of ketchup. Not that you didn’t like it, but ew. _

_“No, nothing, just the fact that I’m talking to a skeleton who just conjured up a magical tongue and drank ketchup like it was nothing, treating me like some old pal that he’s known for years, and paying for my food.” You joke. He laughs a little, his baritone voice reaching even deeper than you could imagine it already being. It’s kind of attractive, but quickly push away that thought. Your birthday is coming, sure, but you still aren’t sure how old this dude is._

_“ true. but i wouldn’t do this for just anybody. you could say i got a real good  _ judgement _of character.” He speaks as if that were a joke. How would judgement be a joke…? You scrunch your eyebrows together, reaching down to the burger in front of you and pulling it up to your mouth to take a bite and holy fuck this is incredible. It’s warm, greasy, but it warms your chest as you swallow. “ good, huh? yeah, grillbz is the best. no place like this. good friends, good food, good laughs. ya get me?” Sans takes a bite of his fries. No tongue this time. You nod as if you do. God, you’re fucking depressing. Can’t you have one happy thought and stop being so fucking edgy? You take another few bites of your burger and fries, reaching for a lone ketchup bottle nearby that isn’t nursed by Sans, making a small pile yourself and dipping your fries in to take a bite. You can’t remember the last time you had food made this good. Sure, you had the cooks back at home, who made literally anything you wanted, but you weren’t the favorite, so you didn’t have that privilege. The other food you had was clean cut, no mistakes. Fresh and lenient. You never had something like this before. It was warm and inviting. You look up, realizing the previously comforting air has gone rigid. Everything seems to be going in slow motion. As if everything else is a silhouette, except for where you’re sitting and eating. Are you dissociating again? You look to Sans, who looks into your eyes, the same smile and eyelights devoid of emotion. A chill runs up your spine. “say, kiddo. i got a question for you.” He turns his entire body to you. His jacket is unzipped, a white shirt underneath, the crew neck revealing some of his rib and spine. It’s unnerving. You feel frozen in place. “do you believe in second chances? that even the worst of the worst can turn their life around? do you think people can change? do you think they deserve it?” Sans questions you. You feel like there _ is _a right answer. You swallow the lump in your throat. You take a moment to think, because you have_ definitely _seen the worst of the worst. You’ve been dragged through the mud. You’ve seen a lot of people at their highest and lowest, the most trustworthy people stab you in the back, and the worst of people strive to be better. Sans looks to you expectantly._

 _“It depends. What lead them to make that decision? Did they have a motive? Are they doing it for themselves, or someone else? Is it reflex, instinct? Do they think they’re some deserving, omnipotent and all-powerful God, or are they trying to get revenge for their loved ones? Do they_ want _to change? Are they willing to fight for themselves and others? Are they willing to go to far lengths and even sacrifice parts of themselves, past, and-or future they possibly aren’t ready to let go of yet? Are they really in their right mind, completely conscious of their own self control? Is someone, or something else taking the reigns, and-or doing it as if they feel they have no choice?” You let it spill out. You’re surprised with yourself, acting like some philosopher. Sans looks surprised, too, grin faltering a little, as if he couldn’t believe what just came out of your mouth. The noise of the bar is gone, and only the discussion of the two of you remain. You’ve thought of these questions before, questioning the universe at unholy hours of the night asking why you were put here in the first place. You were suicidal for a while, before ultimately deciding to leave everything behind last minute. Someone else did the same thing, which lead to your own spiral, but you knew they did it because they couldn’t bring you with them. You were too young. But you were angry with them for a while. You didn’t know why they could so easily leave you. You started failing homeschooling, reprimanded by your family you were so unfortunately cursed to be related to. You started self harming, you couldn’t fucking take it anymore. But before you could ultimately spiral, the noise of the bar returns, and everything is free flowing again._

_“ say, kiddo. i know i’m a stranger and all, but i’ve got an open couch at my house. don’t live alone, i live with my brother, papyrus. he’s super cool and wouldn’t hurt a fly, so don’t worry about that. you don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to, but i don’t think you sleeping out in the cold is a good idea. just for a night, at least. you don’t have to do nothin’ except help my brother clean up after dinner, as payment, but this is an offer either way.” He catches you off guard with this, hesitance thriving through yourself. You literally just met. He is a stranger. He does live with someone else, though. He doesn’t seem like a liar, and he’s true to his character. At least to you he is. His only weapon in your field of vision is a fist. Nothing in his pockets except a single left hand, which is big enough to hold a small pocket knife, but seeing his tongue means he has magic. You look back into his eyelights, and he looks… patient. Patient. Huh. Well, you’re either shooting yourself in the foot or making one of the best decisions in your life. _

_“Sure. Okay. Just one night, though. I can’t stay in one place for long, unfortunately. Thanks. A lot.” You nod, taking another bite of your burger. He nods to you, the grin returning. You two fall into a comfortable silence. You chew your burger, bouncing your foot a little. Your heart looms over the thought of having somewhere to sleep. Is this what it’s supposed to be like to grow up? Is this your fate? Couch-hopping? You sigh, looking down to your worn combat boots, scuffed from the scuffles of your travels. You look back up to your almost empty plate, clearing off the last few fries and sipping the water you ordered earlier in your deep philosophical thinking. You finally observe the empty plate in front of you. You never cleared plates on your own volition at home. Habit, maybe? You shrug to yourself._

_“ ready to go, kiddo? and don’t worry about walking there, i know a shortcut. need to get home in time for dinner.” He winks. Oh god, and you thought the teeth thing was weird. Now you’ve got malleable bones. He laughs a little. You nod, not sure what he means by shortcut. He turns to the fire elemental behind the bar. "thanks for the grub, grillbz. i’m sure we’ll be back.” He winks at you, just to throw you off again. You roll your eyes, nodding at the man. _

_“Thank you.” You try your best to smile at him genuinely, and he nods back to you. You turn to Sans, who is now standing shorter than you. Not by much, maybe an inch. He nods towards the entrance as you pull your backpack over your shoulders, following behind him in tow. You two exit the bar into the cold of the evening, the sun setting in a beautiful gradient of a deep navy of the oncoming night, to a deep purple, red, orange, then yellow of the sun. You know when the monsters rose to the surface not too long ago, the sky looked just like this. A little bit of clouds float over the bright sun dipping down into the ground, returning to an unknown home. You never knew you’d relate to a ball of fire before. Before you knew it, Sans turned into an alleyway darkened by the shadows. You raise an eyebrow to him, looking to the dead end._

_“ gotta trust me, kiddo. i know you’re not used to it, but i know where i’m goin’.” He stated as a matter-of-factly, holding out a boney hand. You purse your lips. Just go for it, Y/N. Got nothing to lose. You step forward, holding a hand out towards his and slowly taking it. “gotta hold on tight. don’t let go. you’ll feel a little queasy after, but it’ll subside.” Sans nods to you. You nod back, holding into his chipped and scarred metacarpals. You have no time to feel, as the world around you almost, quite literally, melts and disappears. Before you know it, you’re pulled into an abyss. It’s lonely, and cold, colder than outside. But is this outside anymore? Inside? Are you anywhere? _

_✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ ✌︎☼︎☜︎ ☜︎✞︎☜︎☼︎✡︎🕈︎☟︎☜︎☼︎☜︎ ✌︎☠︎👎︎ ☠︎⚐︎🕈︎☟︎☜︎☼︎☜︎📪︎ 💣︎✡︎ 👍︎☟︎✋︎☹︎👎︎📬︎ 👌︎🕆︎❄︎ 👎︎⚐︎ ☠︎⚐︎❄︎ 👌︎☜︎ ✌︎☞︎☼︎✌︎✋︎👎︎📬︎_

_You turn to the noise. What the Hell was that? The world finally materializes around you. Suddenly, you’re in the middle of the woods. Leaves barren from the trees, a two story log cabin in front of you. Somehow, snow is on the roof. Christmas lights decorate it, blinking in a slow pattern. Two mailboxes are to the left of it, one overflowing and the other empty. Leaves and twigs crunch under your feet. You look to Sans, who’s unbothered. Did he not hear that?_

_“ anything you heard in there isn’t real. i don’t do promises, but i can guarantee you’re safe.” He turns to the house, a red sports car parked near the front. You pull your grip from Sans’ hand, holding your backpack strip on your back. You look at the cozy home, lights on. Warm and inviting, like Grillby’s. Nausea finally settles in your stomach, an arm wrapping around it. “come on in to my humble abode.” Sans lets you stand for a minute, before the nausea does, eventually, fade. You nod, letting him lead you into the house. “’m home, pap. brought a pal.” Sans calls out. You look around the home, the clanging of dishes and silverware coming from the kitchen in front of the door across the floor, but somehow you can’t see into it. Maroon walls bring you in, a TV next to the kitchen entrance, a green couch across from it on the wall. Your eyes lead you to the staircase, looking up to two doors. One is decorated, stop signs and caution tape over it. The other… flames from the bottom of the door? How is that possible? You look back to the TV, a small statue next to it, and a sock. A sock. Nice. Feels homey. _

_“ OH? A FRIEND? JUST ONE MOMENT, FRIEND, I’LL BE OUT IN JUST A SECOND!” A loud, confident voice booms from the kitchen. You flinch a little at the yelling. You look to Sans, who now sits on the couch, asleep. What? When did that happen? You look towards the kitchen, and a tall, oh God a very tall skeleton walks out. He’s wearing a battle body, white plates sitting on his shoulders and chest, a red scarf around his neck. Red boots and mittens cover his hands. Blue shorts, enough to reveal his spine, thick lower ribs, and femur, fibula, and tibia. You blush a little at the exposed… bone. He looks happy, his hands coming up to his surprised face. “WOWIE! A NEW FRIEND! HELLO, HUMAN! I’M SURE YOU ALREADY KNOW WHO I AM! BUT! LET ME REMIND YOU, IN CASE YOU DON’T! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE MASCOT OF ALL MONSTERS!” He announces. You flinch again at the yelling, but his voice’s overwhelming need to grab attention pulls you in and makes you smile. Who couldn’t love this guy? Maybe a little more positive than anyone you’ve met, but Sans definitely wasn’t lying about his brother. _

_“I’m Y/N. It’s very nice to meet you, Papyrus, your brother said a lot of nice things about you.” You nod, still keeping your smile._

_“ SPEAKING OF MY BROTHER. SANS! SANS, GET YOUR LAZYBONES UP! THIS IS NO WAY TO GREET A NEW FRIEND! SANS!” Papyrus looks over to Sans on the couch, and you follow his eyelights. Sans slowly opens his previously closed sockets, looking over the two of you. _

_“ ’sup, bro.” Sans yawns. _

_“ YOU KNOW WHAT’S ‘SUP’, BROTHER. WE HAVE A NEW FRIEND HERE. AND DINNER IS READY. YOU MUST GET UP.” Papyrus turn to you. “HUMAN. PREPARE YOURSELF FOR GREATNESS. FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL GRACE YOU NOW WITH HIS WONDERFUL COOKING.” Papyrus points to the kitchen, marching over to it. You look back at Sans. _

_“ isn’t my bro cool?” Sans winks. You know there’s a right answer. You keep your genuine smile on. _

_“I’m a little flinchy with the volume, since we’re on terms of keeping it truthful, but he’s super cool.” You decide to keep it truthful. Eye for an eyelight. He nods in understanding._

_“ he just gets excited. don’t worry, he means well. let’s not keep him waiting.” Sans pushes himself up and past you. You look behind you, looking for and finding a coatrack. A tall, red with black detail trenchcoat. You assume that’s Papyrus’. You hope they don’t mind, and put your backpack on the coat rack. You keep your own jacket on, though, huddling further into it. You also keep your shoes on, seeing they don’t mind. You turn to the kitchen, walking in. It gets brighter as you do, finally revealing itself to you. Checkered tile floors, and a normal-looking kitchen. It’s a little small, but enough to fit the three of you. A small circular dining table is near the corner, two seats. It makes sense, but there’s nowhere for you to sit. You see Sans occupying one of them, Papyrus standing and making plates of spaghetti. _

_" I HOPE YOU AREN’T ALLERGIC TO ANYTHING, HUMAN. I HAVE LEARNT RECENTLY THAT YOU CAN BE AND I DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET SICK! DO YOU HAVE ANY ALLERGIES?” Papyrus looks to you. You shake your head. “FANTASTIC! NOW, TAKE A SEAT, I WILL BRING YOU A PLATE!” Papyrus’ energy carries off to you. As this being one of your first experiences with monsters, this is pretty great. Not all of them are completely nice to humans, but they were softer than you imagined. They were taled to be great beasts that held no mercy or intelligence, but here they are. Walking, talking beings who just want to… be. Your chest flutters with neutral nostalgic feelings, unsure if they’re completely positive or negative. _

_“But, there’s only two seats, and-”_

_“ take my seat, bro. i’ll stand.” Sans begins to stand up, Papyrus rolling his eyelights. _

_" NO, BROTHER, THE HUMAN MUST BE SITTING! PLUS, I WANT TO HAVE A FULL BODY VIEW OF HOW THE HUMAN REACTS TO MY CULINARY MASTERPIECE!” Papyrus announced out to him. Sans looked a little surprised, but shrugged his shoulders. He has this look in his eye, and Papyrus strained himself. “I AM GOING TO GO GET YOUR FOOD NOW BEFORE I HAVE TO HEAR ANOTHER ONE OF MY BROTHER’S  _ HILLARIOUS _JOKES.” Papyrus turns, going over to the spaghetti that smelt.. Kind of odd. You brushed past it, not wanting to be rude in someone else’s home. You’re a hardass, not a fucking idiot._

 _“ aw, c’mon, bro, you know you love my spine-tingling humor.” Sans winks over at you, and a giggle bubbles in your throat, escaping your lips before you can hold it. The atmosphere is nice. It’s the same feeling you’ve had since entering Grillby’s. You feel like a broken record, but you have nowhere else to put your finger to describe the feeling. You can’t help it. You’ve never had something like this. Your chest thrums again, even sore at this point from how much you’re feeling it, the exact emotion now sinking in and taking you over completely. You feel like this is the universe playing cat and mouse with you, holding the mouse right under your nose and tugging it away before you can reach it, letting you build up the chase before you swipe your claws, and sometimes even getting repercussions for it. You don’t catch Sans’ softened eyelights on you for a moment while you’re lost in thought. Papyrus quickly snaps you back to reality, placing a plate of… glittery spaghetti in front of you. The smell is overwhelming now, Sans’s eyelights boring into you with a gaze of ‘i _ dare _you to slip up now’. It was terrifying. You kept your straight face, though. Papyrus_ was _a genuinely sweet guy, and you’ve gotten used to the yelling better than you thought you would._

_“ HUMAN! IT IS NOW TIME! FOR YOU! TO! TASTE! MY! SPAGHETTI!” Papyrus calls out every last word to-the-t, not missing a beat. Again, his excitement is inevitable and eventually reaches you, too. You nod, taking the fork in your hand. Oh fucking boy, here we go. Okay, you’ve taken shots before. This isn’t your first rodeo of shitty food. Obviously, Sans and you know there’s a problem, but Papyrus isn’t phased. Okay. Three. Two. One- _

_Holy fucking christ wow what the fuck is that is that fucking_ honey mustard _? Who puts honey mustard in spaghetti? You also feel the glitter, the tang of the vinegar, syrup, and… some other indescribable tastes. However, you manage, just fucking barely, to keep a straight face. Papyrus looks ecstatic. Sans looks amused, but kept his silent threat on the table. You nod, smiling, giving a small thumbs up._

 _“ WOWIE! YOU LOVE IT! JUST THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE NOW TELLS ME EVERYTHING! I KNEW IT! I SAW THE NOODLE-LOVER-LOOK IN YOUR EYES THE MOMENT I WALKED OUT OF THE KITCHEN AND SAW YOUR VERY DEEP EYEBAGS!" Wow, no filter, okay then. “BUT! NO MATTER! ONCE YOU HAVE A FULL STOMACH OF MY EXPERTISE, AND A NAP ON MY WONDERFULLY KEPT COUCH, YOU WILL FEEL BETTER! I PROMISE! I AM THE BEST HOST KNOWN TO MAN AND MONSTER-KIND!” Papyrus shoots up from his seat, making you flinch again. God, you hated when you flinched. “BROTHER, MAKE SURE THE HUMAN-Y/N FINISHES PROPERLY! NOT A SCRAP TO WASTE!” Papyrus marches off into the darkened living room you didn’t notice before. It’s like switching rooms in a video game. You turn to Sans, eyes pleading of help you didn’t think you’d ask for. He nods knowingly, a dog suddenly appearing, wait what? The food gets absorbed, a _ [ _funny tune_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woPff-Tpkns) _playing as he comes in, makes the food disappear, and leaves. Your mouth is gaping open. You didn’t realize you swallowed. Oh well. Sans is absolutely fucking_ enamored _with the look in your eye, grin wide and swelling more by the minute as the shock of it all settles in you._

 _“What in the all-loving fuck was that?” Was all you could manage. Sans_ howls _with laughter. Absolutely fucking_ roars _. You just stare at him. You don’t know what else to do. Translucent- like his tongue- blue tears bead at the edge of his sockets. He lifts a hand to wipe at the edge of them._

_“ jeeze, kid, your face. you should’ve seen it. it was un-bone-lievable.” Sans shakes his skull. He runs a hand over it, bone hitting bone in a softer way than you thought it’d sound. It’s nice. “c’mon, kiddo, let’s get you to sleep. paps’ right, you look bone-tired.” You groan after that last bit, letting him lead the way. _

_\--_

_Sans looks over to you in the dark of the night. 3am and this is the last thing he’d be expecting himself to do. Watching a human sleep. His ulna and radius’ giving him leverage to rest himself on the railing of the walkway that leads you to the brother’s rooms. You look peaceful. Back in Grillby’s, you were tense and guarded, shoulders up by your ears and your Soul thrumming, ready to get up and get out when you needed to. Maybe it was a good thing he decided to swoop by the bar after messing with that stupid machine. Follow the anomaly he was_ so sure _was there. But no, just the universe fucking with him again. Oh well. He did meet you, he guesses, grunting to himself._

_Fear and Despair, mixed with a dash of Compliance and a heaping pile of Distrust. Hesitancy lied underneath the surface._

_But what surprised him the most? It was even less than Compliance, but enough to see it when he focused in on it. He didn’t know how it came around, but he could feel it in his bones, no pun intended. He felt it when he first approached, when you reached out your hand to shake his to trigger the awaiting whoopee cushion, when you said ‘I’m a little flinchy with the volume’, when you took a bite of Papyrus’ pasta._

_Bravery._

_LV 1 HP 27/40_  
_ATK 30 DEF 50_  
_Doesn't know what home is._

You sauntered out of your therapist’s office with confidence that day. She told you the best advice she could when it came to dealing with Jackie and Asher, and you hesitated telling her about the boys because you could see the worry in her eyes. But you knew it was just her being concerned about you, something you’ve almost never gotten used to. It was alright, though, knowing you had a house full of skeletons waiting for you who do the same thing. This time around, you didn’t mind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter summary:  
> going to the therapist's office, you meet a little girl named jane who tells you she's here to see a doctor because she gets nervous, quickly relating to her and giving her some advice to deal with bullies. you meet with your therapist, dr. hannah lincoln, quickly after. you tell her about your whereabouts since seeing her last, being a few years since you've seen her (asher promptly being toxic and keeping you away from her). you quickly remember when you first met sans and papyrus, sleeping over at their house that fateful night.
> 
> excuse my shitty summary
> 
> also, i'm so sorry, i made this chapter longer than i wanted. originally, this chapter was supposed to be a mix of this one with the one that's coming next, but i found myself typing more and more into the backstory. i don't know why. i'm an on-the-go type of person, very spontaneous and i don't plan things out very well into the future. i kind of go along with the flow (cough cough my flow) and kind of see what happens when i poke the bear with the stick. hell, megrim didn't *exist* until i thought of him on the spot, and everything came to my mind after. he kind of made himself. anyway, i appreciate you all being so patient with me. but, beware, we have a new skelepair coming soon <3
> 
> please post fanart under the tag #T3G because i am 100% inviting you to draw fanart of this, updates when i can! you can also tag my tumblr @marcykinsmaki


	7. Playing Nice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally meet with Jackie to discuss, but a familiar contender comes to the ring you didn't expect.
> 
> Someone is watching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAH 1000 hits and 80 kudos! i am so happy rn omg!!!!!! holy shit. thank you guys so much for showing your love! welcome to this shitshow, because things are only gonna get angsty from here >:) 
> 
> trigger warning for arguing, anxiety attacks, gaslighting. nothing too specific for spoiler reason. enjoy the new chapter <3
> 
> song that inspired this chapter:  
> king of anything - sara bareilles
> 
> and as always, if the changed font bothers you, the 'hide creator's style' button does the trick.

You check your hair in the mirror one last time. When was the last time you were so nervous about meeting someone like this. You mean, you _were_ discussing with your ex’s choice of cheating material about this whole thing going on. You sigh, tugging your plain black hoodie’s hem past your knees, again, for the millionth time. Your chest strains just thinking about what’s going to happen. Your feet shift, returning to your age-old pacing you didn’t think would come back. _He_ told you it was annoying, so you trained yourself out of it. But he’s not _here_ , so your feet moved as they pleased. Your lips licked your chapped lips, chapped from licking, of course. Your hands find themselves wringing against each other again. You haven’t had this much adrenaline in a while. You look down to your phone, 6:30pm blaring into your face and ingraining itself into your brain. You really didn’t wanna do this. This was tiring. This week has been tiring. You’re tired. You wrote a whole song in an entire night. You snuck out of the fucking house, into the garage and plucked at your guitar strings, hoping it would sound good when the guitar was actually plugged in. You hummed to yourself, tapping your feet, frustratingly scribbling down words. This continued into the morning, finding your hands tapping to the beat of this thing you’ve written. The boys noticed something was wrong, but you quickly brushed it off, took your medication, and headed off to class that morning.

That was earlier. This is now. The boys, who are oddly all in the same room at the same time without arguing which should definitely be concerning, tell you their goodbyes before you set off to face your fears, so easily stomaching your own anxieties to speak to Jackie. It kind of scared you.

\--

“so we’re followin’ ‘er, righ’?” Red finally speaks up. Everyone hums in agreement. “no way ‘m trustin’ tha’ bitch. sounds bad ‘nough.”

“s’ wha’s th’ plan?” Mutt follows up next.

“WHY ARE YOU ALL SO INDUCED WITH THAT WENCH, ANYHOW? SHE IS WEAK. WORTH NOTHING MORE THAN THE BOTTOM OF MY SHOE.” Edge calls out. No one expected him to be here, some not wishing him to be there, but there he was like the rest of them. He didn’t say why he was there, either, he just was.

“’cause she means something to us. either platonically or romantically, because stars fuckin’ knows what would happen to her soul if all of us, knowing we have a few copies of us unwilling to listen, were romantic in some degree.” Sans sighed. He got some grumbles and nods of agreement. It felt nice to talk openly about being copies, anomalies, from different universes and timelines, resets and save files, et cetera et cetera. He knows all of that will come to a stop soon, though, and you will finally know the truth. It terrifies him. For now, though, they had to make sure nothing bad happened. Sans, Mutt, and Stretch, three Judges, already knew what Jackie was capable of. What Asher was capable of. The anxiety wafting from Marceline every second of the day. She was a good mediator, temporarily, having a soul of Patience, but it only went so far. Sans knew this personally.

“earth to vanilla? do you copy?” Stretch spoke before Sans looked up. He nods. “angel above, you’re worse than blue.” Stretch shakes his head.

“I CAN ASSURE YOU, PAPY, I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT. NOW, WE MUST BE OFF! THREE OUT OF THREE OF US ALREADY KNOW WHERE TO GO, THE REST OF US WILL FOLLOW AND TAG ALONG IN YOUR SPACE-HOPPING!” Blue excitedly added to the group. Stretch shook his head.

“i don’ think all ‘f us goin’ at once ‘s a good idea.” Mutt shook his head. He was chewing on a dog bone, restlessness rolling off of all of them in waves. “need people who know th’ place, know how t’ handle ‘em. this ain’t mission ‘mpossible, i know, but she means a lot t’ us.”

“I HAVE NEVER SEEN YOU SO ANXIOUS TO MOVE, MUTT. THIS IS QUITE THE SURPRISE. FURTHERMORE, I DO WANT TO ATTEND TO SEE WHAT MY PET IS UP TO. I DO NOT WISH HARM ON THE HUMAN. OR ANYONE ELSE. IF ANYONE WERE TO, I AM THE ONE TO INFLICT IT.” Black nods to himself, standing diligently next to his sitting brother, tense in conflict to his relaxed sibling.

“I SHALL ATTEND AS WELL. IT IS OBVIOUS VANILLA, STRETCH, MY PATHETIC BROTHER, AND THE DOG ALL WANT TO GO. BLUE AND CINNAMON WILL STAY HERE.” Everyone looked to Edge in surprise as he added his forthcoming, but no one dared, especially Red.

“i don’t think it’s a good idea for all of us to go at once. it is a pretty nice and spacious neighborhood, but she has neighbors.” Sans sighed to himself. “red, are you sure you can hold back your anger in case anything happens? what i heard from mett that night it originally happened, it wasn’t pretty. jack-ass was pretty adamant on keeping quiet and to ash-hole’s side during the thing with the human police. ash-hole is a piece of work and even tried making it up to her. messy shit. i know you all felt it, even with connections fairly weak, that that police thing rocked her shit. too fucking good at hiding it.” Sans shakes his head. More agreeing sounds. The things he does for this kid.

“yes. ‘m sure i can contain m’self. thanks _so_ much, _mom_.” Red spat. Sans’ eyelights roll.

“’s get a move on, then. blue n’ pap, stay here. and please, for the love of the angel, do not make a sex joke about that.” Sans quickly adds before Mutt can do anything. Everyone grabs on to a respective transporter, if needed, thankfully two of them already can jump. They’re all gone in an instant.

\--

Your heart is still pounding by the time you park in front of your now previous home. Fuck, you still have to email the landlord that you’re leaving. Fuck. Ugh. And the apartment. Fuck. Too many responsibilities. But you can’t set them aside forever. That’s definitely not how you are. Not on your medication, anyway, when anxiety isn’t wracking your mind so much that it disables you from going to classes. When, at one point, it threatened your very career. You didn’t write anything but cheesy love songs for one month, and then depressingly sad songs the next. All because of one dude, you reminded yourself silently. Shit. Fuck. What a dickwad. Okay, enough of that, because someone else is waiting for you. Inside and waiting to talk to you about this fuck all situation and whatever this is. Whatever made her to lead to this decision. Your feet move before your mind does, leaving the ghost of you behind. You couldn’t process your own movements because it didn’t settle in until now.

_Asher tried to have sex with Jackie in the dressing room down the hall to yours and you wouldn’t have known if you didn’t decide to walk in after your performance that night._

Okay, so much for pushing it to the side for the moment. You take one final deep breath, hearing a soft conversation coming from the living room. The lights are barely on, only the kitchen and living room where Marceline and Jackie are obviously occupying. You pray to whatever higher power and press on to the space, the conversation coming to a halt when you find yourself there. There’s a tissue box, several used tissues strewn about the coffee table.

“Oh, h-hey, Y/N.” Marceline is the one to break the silence. She always is. No matter how much of a ram-headed girl you can be, Marceline is always the one with the first words. You never know how she does it. You try to keep your eyes on her. “Why don’t you come a-and sit?” She nods her head shyly to the seat in front of her across the table. Again, no eyes on Jackie, and you can tell she’s doing the same. This is hard for everyone, and no matter how many anxiety pills you can shove down your throat without overdosing, songs to listen to, mantras and good-hearted quotes, it didn’t fucking help.

“‘Sup. Let’s just cut to the chase, why exactly did you want me here?” You settle yourself in the seat across from them, leaning back into the seat with your hands fisted in your hoodie pocket. Jackie takes a deep breath, as if she’s the one who’s been cheated on.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Jackie shakes her head, dark brown, almost black locks swinging with it. You’re a lot calmer right now than you thought you’d be, actually speaking and listening to her. “I didn’t know what I was thinking. He just..”

“How long has this been going on? Genuinely. Start from the beginning.” You crudely interrupt. Oh well.

“R-right. Well, maybe…” Jackie mumbles. You arch your brow. Jackie sniffles, a tear sliding down her cheek. “Two years? After you and Asher got into a screaming match. I went to check up on him, a-and he just insisted.”

“So you went to comfort him but ended up sucking his dick instead. For two years.” You said plainly. Wow, didn’t expect this anger from yourself. “I was your best friend, too, you know. I didn’t let you into the band for no fucking reason. I like you, a lot. A lot a lot. But now, I like you none. You fucked up. Big fucking time. I do not forgive you, I do not accept your apology, nor will I ever. You knew how much he meant to me, you knew how much I loved him. You played me like a fucking fiddle, congrats.” You cross your arms now. Jackie and Marceline stare at you in shock. You hate getting angry, yeah, but now push comes to shove and your violent anger issues have reared its ugly head and grabbed onto your shoulders like handlebars. And, you’re a _calm_ angry. The worst angry you can be.

“Okay, I-I get you’re upset, Y/N, but please t-try to keep this civil like we said?” Marceline smiles again, shaking herself from her own nerves.

“Please. I don’t want this to end in something bad, too. I want neutral terms, at least. You don’t have to forgive me, or accept my apology, or anything. Just let me explain myself, or I’ll answer any questions you want. Okay?” Jackie is practically pleading with your now. But it can’t be helped. You shrug, nodding your head.

“Fine. But only honesty. I won’t let myself be strum again.” You kick yourself mentally for making a music reference, but hey. It’s stress. Jackie nods back, and Marceline is practically beaming at the semi-positive outcome.

“Alright. Fire away.”

\--

“see anythin’?” Red is bouncing on the branch. Edge swats at him, making Red roll his eyelights and cease. Sans sighs, sitting back.

“jack-ass looks more upset than anyone there. y/n doesn’t feel too happy right now, but i’m sure you all can feel that, too. she’s a calm angry, so it’s not good.” Sans keeps his eyelights on the open window leading into your living room, the light on and bright, the sun down and giving the perfect view of you three speaking to each other. You keep it short while Jackie talks for longer. Marceline keeps to herself, nodding and rubbing Jackie’s back. Marceline keeps giving you calming and reassuring looks, too. Reminds him of someone, but it keeps prodding the question.

“why th’ ‘ell isn’ marceline doin’ anythin’?” Mutt rose the question that was sitting in the tense space between the six of them. Marceline seems nice enough, and hasn’t proven to be too distrusting between the Judges there, but Mutt’s painfully right. Something isn’t exactly 100% truthful here. Maybe it’s just the Sans personalities being weary, but they’re rarely wrong.

“Is She Incompitent? My Pet Is Clearly Suffering, If You Say So About Her ‘Calm Anger’.” Black comments, crossing his arms. “The Other One Seems Even More So. We Shouldn’t Have Let The Human Go.” He huffs.

“’m sure she’s fine, m’lord. she’s ‘n adul’.” Mutt tries to be convincing, but his stress is painfully obvious like the rest of them. Even Edge seems to be on.. edge. Heh.

“I Hope You’re Right, _Dog._ Not That I Care. We Don’t Need A Dead Human On Our Case. The Human Police Already Know Somewhat Of Us.” Edge murmurs, his arms crossed. He wouldn’t have come if he doesn’t care, obviously, but him being a nuisance doesn’t help his case. Everyone always tenses when you and Edge are in the same room. They’re lucky so far, but who knows? You’re a good kid, obviously; he wouldn’t have let you into his home, with his brother there, if you weren’t. He refocuses, sockets squinting. His Soul pang in his ribs.

“shit.”

\--

This was fine. It was going okay. It was going as decent as it could be. Jackie and Asher all started after the fight between you and Asher over bills. Like always, of course, before you landed the job you have now, and everyone else began to contribute to the pay, too. She offered to comfort him, one thing lead to another, and they slept together. It was an on and off thing, eventually becoming consistent and seeing and sleeping with each other when they could. When you were too tired, too triggered by trauma to keep it to Asher’s liking. Not compliant enough. Not the time to woe about that right now, though. Gotta keep it moving. Don’t wanna be here longer than you have to. You have a house full of eight worried skeletons, despite their outwardly deviously calm demeanors, to get back to so you could reassure them that you didn’t die.

“So, is that all you need to know?” Jackie piped up. You began to think, but there was a knock at the door. The three of you shared a long look of questioning, yours of slight accusation, but Jackie shrugs.

“Did either of you invite someone over?” You look between them. They both shake their heads. Another knock, followed by the doorbell. You rise to your feet, looking at them both in a silent ‘stay here’. Who in the Hell could it possibly be? The landlord, maybe? But he usually texted you before he came over. Maybe he heard about your falling out? You open the door.

“Hey.” Your heart sank. Your stomach tightened.

“What the Hell are you doing here?” You snapped. Why, of all people, is _he_ here?

“Can I come in?” Asher looks to you expectantly. He looks way too fucking calm right now.

“Why in the fuck are you here? Answer my question.” You kept your tone. You didn’t want to be friendly to this man-child. Fuck his anger. Fuck his punches. Fuck him.

“Cursing makes you look ugly. Just let me in, and I’ll explain myself.” Asher nods. You stand there for a moment, contemplating. The door squeaks as you slowly open it, glaring deep into him. Right into his guilty fucking soul. He smiles- he fucking _smiles_ , at you, walking in as you shut the door behind you. You begrudgingly follow behind him, hands in your pockets again. You can feel your anger looking for a fight. The boxing gloves are on, the octagon has been left in the mud for quite some time but is now clean and polished, ready to start anew. But you quickly put it aside for now. You don’t live on the streets anymore. You’re here, at your old house, temporarily. Soon you’ll be at your temporary house. Soon. Please, soon. Jackie and Marceline look just as startled as you do.

“Ba-Asher! What are you doing here?” Jackie lets the ‘babe’ halfway slip, hoping you don’t notice, but you catch on. Doesn’t matter, she can have him. Learn from the same mistake you made. That’s a little harsh, sure, but you have your own problems to worry about.

“Came to join the party, I guess. Didn’t know you three would be here.” Asher sat next to Jackie, wrapping an arm around her.

“Is this a fucking joke to you? You just _happened_ to be in the area? _Really_? You’re full of shit.” You sit back in your seat, significantly moving it back, away from Asher.

“For someone who wanted to solve this so civilly, you sure aren’t doing too good of a job.” Asher shrugs, now bouncing his leg impatiently. 

“Never told me why you were here at all. Asked Jackie a few questions about your little affair. That was it. Until you got here, obviously to rescue Jackie from whatever the flying fuck you think is making you the hero here.” You continued to glare at Asher. 

“Like I said. I was around, saw your bike and Jackie’s car, I got curious.” Asher continued to look at you nonchalantly. You groan.

“Y/N, m-maybe he’s telling the truth? I know y-you’re upset, but-” You suddenly stand, knocking the chair further behind you. Marceline flinches, Jackie staring, Asher staring in amusement.

“Yeah, I’m fucking upset, Jackie’s sitting here sobbing a fucking storm like _she’s_ the one who got cheated on, Asher is poking and prodding at the bear he _knew_ he would stir, and I’m fucking pissed that I got cheated on for _two years_ without my knowledge. I’m upset that I caught my boyfriend of five years cheating for the third time, yeah. Maybe I was a fucking idiot, maybe I was naive, maybe I was a little bit of a bitch because I was desperate and lonely. But now I’m not. Now I never want to see you two again. I don’t know if you’re gonna apologize or whatever the flying fuck, I don’t give a goddamn shit. I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told Jackie.” You bend down to Asher’s eye level like a child, since he wants to act so much like one. “I don’t accept your shitty apology. I don’t care for your excuses. You made this poor ass decision and lost me. Oh fucking well. Woe is you. Boo hoo. You called _me_ the moody one, but holy fucking _stars_ let’s talk about _you_. One minute, you’re crying wolf to the fucking cops, and another you’re here all smug that you’re pissing me off? Congrats, fuckass, you won the motherfucking prize of the goddamn night! A pissed off Y/N! Thanks a fucking bunch, Peaches, you made the situation shitty one a-fucking-gain!” You clap a little, and Asher laughs. He laughs! The little fucker _laughed_!

“Are you done whining now?” Asher looks at your shocked, processing glare. “Cool. Yeah, I’m sorry I cheated on you. Like every other time. Yeah, you’re fucking naive. Just like you were when you decided to live with eight monsters. And you know what that makes you? A dirty whore. A fucking slut. A monster fucker.” Asher says this, like every other thing he’s done ever since you foolishly opened the door, nonchalantly. Shit, you can feel the tears. You can feel the familiar burn of your sinuses. The blurry vision. Please, Y/N, don’t let him get under your skin. Not again. Not after that badass curse out. Shit. No. Fuck. “Jesus, did you take your fucking meds today? You’re acting like a crazy, bipolar bitch. And I mean, in front of these two? Really? And why the fuck are you flipping like that in front of Jackie? Don’t you see she’s upset? Why are you making this so difficult?” Asher spat right back at you. Not that you didn’t deserve it, right? You mean, you were the one to lash out at him. He’s right, you _did_ want to end this civilly. You wanted to make sure there were no fuck ups. This was your fault, kinda. Maybe. You hoped not.

\--

“th’ ‘ells happenin’ ‘n there? ‘m ‘bout t’ go in ‘f ya don’-” Red began to argue, but Sans quieted him, quickly, shaking his skull.

“trust me, i wanna go in, too, but not now. it’s taking everything in me to keep myself from shortcutting in. i know. we’re all antsy, but she’d be even more pissed to know we followed her, and she’s been upset lately. wouldn’t be the first time she passed out-”

“SHE’S PASSED OUT FROM THIS BEFORE?! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO, YOU FUCKING NUMBSKULL?!” Edge suddenly shouted, quickly being shushed by his brother.

“Language! And Stars, Keep It Down!” Black spat back at him, holding a phalange up to his teeth. Edge grunted, keeping himself back. They’re all tense, magic sparking in the air, different scents lingering in the air.

“i’m gonna have to be inclined to agree, i think we should go in. ash-hat’s goin’ pretty hard on bee.” Stretch finally added, sliding the sucker behind his teeth with a silent clatter. “wasn’t kiddin’ when i said i’d show him a good time.” Stretch’s eye flashed a small flame of orange, looking over to Sans. Sans rubbed his phalanges over his socket, sighing.

“look, she'll be fine. she isn't getting too bad, yet. hopefully” Sans says that last bit to reassure himself, eyelights still locked on the lit space, Soul panging with a bit of your anxiety. You’re a brave girl, but your patience only spreads so thin.

\--

“Are you done crying now? Jesus fucking Christ, can you _please_ calm down?”

You looked up to him from your seat. You eventually sat after his relentless tormenting, eyes blurry, chest stuttering from staggering breaths. Marceline was by your side, now, Jackie straying from Asher’s side in fear of his anger. Honestly, you were scared, too. But you wish you had the time for that. You slowly took a breath.

“Hard t-to calm down when y-you fucking curse m-me out-”

“You just did the same fucking thing to me!” Asher quickly interrupted, making your body flinch again. Okay, maybe taking so many meds was a bad idea. Did the side effects say anything about how many were an actual overdosage? “Don’t act so fucking innocent! Stop playing the fucking victim card! It isn’t a good look on you!” Asher continued. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. Didn’t you just say a second ago that you were at fault, too? “Don’t fucking roll your eyes at me!”

“A-asher-” Asher quickly looked up to Marceline, who flinched under his gaze. “Please s-stop yelling? It’s s-scaring all of us.” She squeaked silently.

“What, it isn’t helping anything? Huh? What about when Y/N rained her own shitstorm? Calling Jackie and I names for no fucking reason? What then? Huh? Are they getting special treatment?” Asher was raging fire at Marceline now, and you glared at Asher.

“Don’t fucking talk t-to her like that!” You snapped back up at him, keeping a teary glare. You face and body felt hot from all the anxiety and arguing, Asher only making all of this worse.

“Don’t tell me what to fucking do, bitch.” He walked over to you, now. You quickly stood, pushing the chair and Marceline out of the way. A little rough, but you did it out of wanting to keep her out of the way of whatever she planned to do. “Oh now you’re gonna square up? All that street fighting gonna do you some good?” The scent of iron filled the air. Wait, iron? No skeleton you knew smelled like iron. Not the point, Asher’s still approaching you, and backing you up, slowly. “C’mon, your fists are tight. You’re obviously ready to go, so let’s fucking-!” Asher suddenly stops. You’re in the kitchen now, and his eyes are wide. You feel a rush of magic behind you, and everyone else seems to notice, too. Your conscious mind comes full force, bringing you to reality and finally out of your angry buzz. Iron fills your nose and throat, making you cough a little, even testing your gag reflex. You were confused. Why did he stop? You see the glint of a blade, no, fuck. Not even a blade, a big fucking _axe._ You didn’t dare to move, slowly rising up from behind you, a large skeletal hand gripping the handle of the spine, literal fucking human spine, that made up where the helve should be. Asher is staring directly behind you, your eyes looking up to his curiously, and to the shadow that now loomed over you on the wall. Holy fuck, it was huge. It didn’t look like Papyrus, though. Definitely had the height. And it was… _wide._ You feel the familiar feeling of a skeletal arm wrap around you, plush jacket pressing against the back of your form and a vibrating growl filling your senses.

“finally… caught you….. bunny.” The new form chuckled softly into your ear, Sans being the last thing you see before reality melts around you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** edited so the font change could actually work, and one line doesn't fit with the rest because i forgot to edit it out from my previous plan for this chapter.
> 
> you get angry. the boys stalk you, kinda. asher comes unwelcomed. axe kidnaps you. oh boy. i'm so excited. i bet you guys are excited now, too. oh boy. i am already working on the next chapter as we fucking speak i am practically a vibrator with how overwhelmed i've made myself. post any fanart you have to #T3G or tag me on my tumblr @marcykinsmaki . sorry for the shorter chapter, i couldn't come up with another 1k words. updates when i can :3
> 
> ALSO ALSO ALSO make a name for mc. please. everyone has their cute little names for reader/mc/whatever, but i really want something special. i was thinking something music related, because she loves music. yeah. maybeee..... harmony or melody? treble? omg i love treble now that i think about it. maybe ram? ANYWAY kudos and comments are always welcome! <3


	8. Axes Aren't For Stirring and Skulls Don't Make Good Bowls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys are worried sick about you, looking for you while you're in the one of a kind hospitality of new 'friends'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg i've wanted to do this ever since i thought up the idea. ugh. i love them so fucking much. i love my boys. i need more of them. but that brings more problems for mc because y'all know how i am. thanks for the lovins. the boys introduced from this chapter will be listed in the end notes for spoiler reasons. thanks <3
> 
> this chapter gets kinda sexual? nothing too bad, just some mentions and implications of interest. also threats with a weapon.
> 
> enjoy the new chapter, translations in end notes!

“stars fucking damn it!” Sans grunted to himself, Asher, Jackie, and Marceline looking to him obliviously, eyes searching for answers.

“What the fuck did that _thing_ do to Y/N?!” Asher quickly looked to Sans, Marceline bouncing up to Sans’ rescue.

“Asher, please, h-he’s a good friend! Y-you need to play nice for now.” Marceline placed a hand on Asher’s shoulder. How Marceline dealt with this, Sans will never fucking know.

“What the Hell are you doing here, anyway, freak?” Asher still kept his attitude, and Sans ran a hand over his skull.

“lookin’ for y/n, actually. that’s why i came. i felt something was wrong and i came in to check on her and i was right. i’m sorry i didn’t come earlier.” Sans attempted reason, keeping his distance from the obviously angrier Asher.

“You know I could have you arrested for misuse of magic, right? They wouldn’t believe a monster over a human. And, Y/N basically just got kidnapped.” Asher smirked down to him. He was trying to get under his skin, yeah, and he did a good fucking job of doing it.

“you wanna find her? because i have a good idea on where she is. i’ll go out, right where i know she is, and i’ll text marceline when i find her, alright? no need to get more riled up, buddy. i know she won’t get hurt.” Sans winked, his grin straining on his face. They all stood in silence, his eyelight flicking over to the bundle of trees in Y/N’s backyard where the rest of them were in hiding.

“D-do you promise?” Marceline ducks her head down to Sans. A blue sweatdrop rolls down the side of his skull, and the trio look even more dumbfounded.

“’fraid i can’t make promises, kiddo.” Sans shrugged. “i just know i can bring her back unscathed. you trust me, yeah?” Sans looks up to Marceline, knowing he can get her side first. Jackie will follow, and hopefully so will Ash-hat. She quickly nods, and his grin relaxes to more of a genuine one. She returns it. “cool. you can go back to your respective residences, and we’ll keep in touch.” And before anyone can say anything, under the trust that Marceline will keep Ash-hole from including the human police anymore, he returns to the currently freaking out skeletons.

“WHY IN THE HELL DIDN’T YOU GO IN THERE SOONER? NOW LOOK WHAT YOU’VE DONE.” Edge was the first to speak, arms crossed across his battle body. Everyone is absolutely seething. Sans doesn’t blame them, honestly. He knows he fucked up. He knows he should have gone after her sooner. Then Axe wouldn’t have whittled his way to her. He should have fucking known something like this would happen, and he’s surprised she didn’t topple over from the overwhelming stress earlier. She’s gone through a lot these past few days and he feels the guilt weighing down on his soul.

“at leas’ we know where sh’ is.” Mutt still had that bone in his mouth. “i agree tha’ ‘nilla should’a gone in, bu’ here we are. we’ll deal wit’he rest later.” Mutt shrugs, pushing himself up. “’ll track ‘er scen’. text ‘f i fin’ anythin’.” And with that, he’s gone. Black grunts, storming upstairs.

“WHEN YOU IMBECILES FIND HER, COME AND LET ME KNOW! YOU ARE RUINING MY BEDTIME STORY!” Black announces, a grunt following. Sans’ eyelights go out for a second, and so do Stretch’s.

“stars fuckin’ damn- shit, i gotta run. no _fibula._ ” Stretch blips out, leaving to his brother. Sans realizes just how late it is, too, sighing to himself.

“I UNFORTUNATELY HAVE TO AGREE WITH BLACK. FIND HER, AND QUICKLY. THIS IS QUITE THE HUGE DISRUPTION TO MY SCHEDULE.” Edge barks, making his way upstairs. “BROTHER!” He calls, Red grunting with frustration, but complies anyway. Now being left alone, Sans tenses with realization.

Sans knows Mutt can do a good job, but he’s itching to find you. One story can’t hurt, an it’s even better if Paps is already out. The thought pangs in his soul in a bit of pain, though, knowing that he’s never missed a bedtime story in any timeline. It’s a bit understandable, though, this timeline isn’t like any other he’s lived through after the kid promised to never reset again after they made it to the surface. He shakes his head, heading upstairs to his brother.

\--

You’re still frozen, your heart pounding at the thought of being alone in the house with someone who won’t show their face to you, sitting in a messy bedroom. Your phone is gone from your pocket, somehow, sure that it’s flooding with texts and calls from the boys. You check out the bedroom. It has one unkempt, undressed mattress with a thick blanket. It’s not completely dirty, full of cobwebs and caked with dust, but rather it’s quite kept with a few socks here and there. There’s a single lightbulb hung from the ceiling, giving the room a creepy basement vibe, the one window dark, the sun already set. There are sticky notes on the wall next to the mattress, with things written like;

_you are on the surface._   
_there is food here._   
_this frisk is not your frisk._   
_check on traps._

The third one catches you for a loop. This Frisk? You’ve heard of them, obviously, knowing Sans. You’ve met Frisk and the royal family before, much to Asher’s dismay, and the odd feeling of the possibility of him being racist comes to mind. He’s said some pretty nasty things before, but in the midst of the brainwashing he’s admitted you to from him, he convinced you that it was ‘out of anger’ and he ‘didn’t mean it’. It’s harder on most days to tell yourself about his brainwashing, most days you tell yourself ‘well maybe he _was_ angry’. Those days are harder. Your thoughts are interrupted by the brash knocking on the door. Right after, the door opens, revealing this absolute fucking _beast._

He’s tall, bloody fuck is he tall, he’s almost got Papyrus beat. And yes, he is indeed wide, but what takes the cake is his skull. He looks exactly like Sans, but one eyelight is out, and the other is a bright, overwhelming red. The permanent grin is there, random teeth formed up around his ‘lips’, in sharp fangs, reminiscing of a cartoon pitbull where his teeth are over dramatic. His clothing is the same as Sans’, too, but more tattered and stained red, please stars let that be ketchup. There are tears and the hem of his jacket, shirt, and basketball shorts have rogue strings and tears, obviously not changed or replaced for a long time. However, the pink slippers are replaced with thick combat boots. He’s big boned, literally. His bones are thick as all Hell, he’s got Sans beat by a fucking million. They’re covered in nicks and scrapes, ‘scars’ in means of a skeleton. And your eyes, very briefly because you understand, land on the large and gaping head wound on the same side of his only eyelight. There’s also a large, uneven, jagged scar across the socket of the eyelight that doesn’t work. You feel bad, reminding you of your own skeletons, no pun intended, in your closet you have to hide that are a little more easy to cover. The skeleton before you hasn’t said much, but when he does, he takes a long time to think or speak. His words are spaced out, almost like he has trouble remembering his own words, or he’s trying to piece something together. He never looks troubled, though, only tense. You know a strained grin when you see one.

“Uh, hello.” You’re the one to break the silence. You can hear voices behind him coming from other spaces in the cabin, you’ve figured this out by your own form of exploration, but don’t ask. You have a feeling you don’t want to meet them. “Why am I.. here?”

It takes him a minute, but his skull tilts to the side in thought. His eyelight is staring into your soul, making goosebumps quickly creep onto your skin.

“i thought i smelled a human.” An irritated voice pipes up behind the large skeleton, who you’ll nickname Beast for now due to his size, Beast turning to the new voice, and this other voice doesn’t make you feel any more welcome from the sound of him. You slowly stand, taking a step or two forward, Beast’s skull immediately snapping in your direction. You feel a small breeze and before you know it, a blade is gently pressed to your throat, heart pounding against your chest. “what a looker, too. good job, axe.” The voice chuckles. Beast now becomes Axe, and you immediately know why, your brain reminded of the blade you saw when Axe kidnapped you from your old house. Axe grunts silently with acknowledgement, and you hear heavy footsteps coming round to your front. “keep those eyes forward, if you know what’s good for you, sparky.” It grunts, slowly revealing another skeleton.

He smells.. Heavy. Dusty. Like an old library. His voice holds the same weight as Axe, even though you’ve only heard him twice. Once when he brought you here, another when he told you to stay put while he went out of the room. You assume he’s just as big as Axe, and holy hell is he. Same clothing, no stains, but the hood is over his head. You’re tempted to look up at him. He finally comes in front of you, the blade moving to under your chin. You recognize it, it’s a knife, and the blade pushes on your chin to force your head up to look at him. You get a good look of him now, little nicks and scrapes across the bone but nothing more. The right eyelight is a pinprick, red. The other, wide as a dinner plate, blue circled with red, a small dot is black on the innermost circle. His grin, again, across his skull. His eyelights are scanning your face. His hood is over his skull, hiding anything else you might see.

“knife t’ meet ya, sparky, name’s dusty. but you can call me daddy if you’re good.” And to your disgusted grimace, he laughs. A roaring, belly-shaking, if he had one, laugh. Axe lets out a chuckle or two. After he calms down, he takes the blade and traces the back of it against your jawline, more goosebumps littering your skin. You try to jerk your head away, but this only earns another laugh. “and here i thought you had a head up there, sparky. guess that means i’ll have to…” Dusty laughs at his own joke, as his skull leans down to his ear, teeth brushing your earlobe, your body completely still. “make sure it’s still in there. don’t give me a reason to.” He quickly pulls away before you can react, leaving you surprised and mortified. You’ve been threatened before, beaten, among other sickly things, but.. These two unnerve you in a way you’ve never felt before. Axe is at least silent about his thoughts. Dusty notices your discomfort, sliding an arm across your shoulders.

“let’s go. got someone waitin’ for ya downstairs.” Without a second thought, Dusty leads you out of the room, going down the steps. You don’t recognize the layout, but your suspicions were right on this being a cabin. It’s not as big as the lodge, of course, so you suspect that only Dusty and Axe live here, seeing they’re so buddy buddy. You finally make it to the kitchen, Dusty’s arm now gone when you enter, pots and pans clattering together, a delicious scent filling your senses. You’re surprisingly, slightly calm. On guard, but none of them have hurt you yet. You look around the kitchen. It’s well kept, and there’s another skeleton. You have officially found Papyrus’ match in height. “yo, c, got someone _dyin’_ tah meet ya.” Dust, you now call him, gestures towards you.

“SECOND! BUSY, DUSTY SANS!” Your nose wrinkles. Dusty Sans? You mean, Dust looks like Sans… okay, that’s definitely something you need to ask about. It really hasn’t dawned on you until now.

_Every pair of brothers look the same. They all act similarly, talk similarly, even some look like Sans and Papyrus’ personalities… switched, somehow. Like how Mutt speaks like Sans, but looks like Papyrus. You know Papyrus wanted to be in the Royal Guard, and Black is already in it, talking like Papyrus and wanting bedtime stories, just like him… he also dresses, just like Papyrus. So does Blue._

You quickly shove that aside. Right now, you’re company, and you have to make a good impression on these new skeletons you’re sure will want to get to know you. Your chest throbs with need, missing your usual skeletons already, because at least you know how to make them happy. And you just miss their familiarity. Now that you think about it, the house you used to live in was nice, but the skeletons gave you so much overwhelming love. Even from all the advances, threats, and whatever else, they always made sure to look after you. When you told them about Asher the first night, Sans offering a place to stay in the midst of the chaos, coming with you when Asher called the cops, tensing up when your phone rang and you got a text and said you got upset, Black taking you on a date with Mutt, Mutt looking after you during classes and work, and many other things. You’ve barely been here a week, yet they’ve shown you more love than anyone has before. The skeleton turns to you now, and your consciousness finally lets the vision of him settle in.

Thankfully, the roof is high enough to accommodate to this new skeleton’s height, still towering over Dust. He looks exactly like Papyrus, but his clothes and battle body are like Axe’s garments-- tattered, dented, rogue strings, missing pieces, torn, and stained. Again, his skull brings the most attention. The same big grin, but his teeth, stars his teeth, they’re in horrible condition. They’re crooked, grown over each other, but not like the fangs Axe has. They’re broken, jagged, and stained pink. They’re very uneven, and you can’t help but frown a little. You can feel Axe’s imposing stare on you, studying you, grin unfaltering. You keep your eyes on the new skeleton, though, your chest throbbing. It’s been a while since you’ve felt empathy like this, related to someone so much. His sockets are also smaller, some scars and chipped away parts litter his bones.

“HUMAN! HEARD LOTS ABOUT YOU! HOPE DUSTY SANS AND BROTHER GOOD!” He nods. You smile, and nod back. He may not be speaking in full sentences like Axe or Dust, but he gets his message across and his energy is contagious, and you caught it like the plague.

“Yeah, they were as good as good can be. Your cabin is very cozy. My name is Y/N, by the way.” You nod. Axe and Dusty’s eyelights are still on you. He smiles.

“GOOD! REPRIMAND LATER. NAME IS GREAT PA.. CROOKS!” Crooks..? Strains a little on the last part, and crooks? Why the Hell…. It takes a minute, and your mood quickly sours. It sounds like he was about to say Papyrus, and you think you’re about to catch on. Did they just run out of names? Did they come from the same father but different mothers which explains why they’re all boys and skeleton monsters? Maybe they.. No, that couldn’t be right. Another thing to think about later. “GO! SIT! FOOD READY!” Crooks keeps the smile, turning back to whatever he was doing, your eyes trailing down to open packages of food, spices, and utensils. Dust places his arm on your shoulder again, and you dare to look up to him, his eyelights meeting your eyes. He pulls you ever-so-tighter against him, making you grunt silently. He whispers down to you again, voice deep and his ribcage vibrates against you slightly.

“c’mon, sparky, don’t wanna be rude to th’ host, do ya?” He looks to you expectantly. You shake your head after a moment, and he grunts. “good.” He pushes you forward, leading you to the dining room not too far from the kitchen, only separated by a wall, turning the corner to see a surprisingly well kept sitting area, a couch behind the dining ‘room’ is (which is just a table, which is currently set), your eyes trailing to the living room and to your exit; the front door. “wouldn’t fly away too quickly, you’re a guest right now. gotta keep us happy. ya aren’t leavin’ just yet.” Dust tugs you to the table, where Axe is waiting, three other large unoccupied chairs waiting to be sat on around the table. Dust pulls out the seat, practically shoving you into it, a small huff coming past your lips. You’re sat right next to Axe, Dust quickly occupying the other seat next to you. Your heart thumps against your ribcage, reminding you that these skeletons are absolutely huge. They’re intimidating, huge, bone scarred and chipped and their clothes worn and two of them bearing scars that are proudly on display. “what’s on your mind, spark?” Dust snaps you out of your train of thought, looking up to him to meet his eyelights. And angel _damned_ is he even bigger when you’re sitting.

“Uh.. I actually, have a question.” You stay silent for a moment, Dust raising a browbone. “Where’s my phone?” And as if his natural, strained grin couldn’t get any bigger, mischief plagues his features. He digs into his hoodie pocket, bringing out your phone, your screen lighting up with multiple messages, and from your seat, you can see many missed calls and messages from Sans, Red, and Mutt.

“right here.” Dust says plainly, his head tilting a little. You reach for it, but he quickly puts it back into his pocket, your brows furrowing. Axe laughs behind you at your pathetic attempt of taking your phone back, your head whipping around to look at him.

“... cute.” Axe’s red eyelight looks down to you, looking across your face, adoration plastered on his skull. You become even more confused, your cheeks burning with embarrassment; but your conversation is interrupted by Crooks coming into the room with a steaming pot of.. Something, a utensil you can’t identify sticking out of the top. You look up to him with a smile, trying to distract yourself from and not bring attention to whatever just happened. He has the same excited smile, placing the pot onto the table in front of you. It smells absolutely fucking amazing, your chest warming and mouth salivating at the thought of a good home cooked meal that isn’t spaghetti, tacos, lasagna, or burritos.

“FOOD DONE! HELP YOURSELF!” Crooks announces to the table, taking his seat across from you as Dust eagerly takes the first helping for himself, you patiently waiting, looking down to your lap every once in a while. You can hear Axe breathing steadily. Do skeletons even need to breathe? You’ve known two of them for five years, but the question never really settled into your brain until now. They don’t have lungs, or anything. It’s always been odd. Off. Before you knew it, your bowl was full of stew, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, Dust chuckling a little.

“you were lost in thought. you kinda get relaxed and your eyes have this shine when you think. it’s fuckin’ adorable.” Dust looks down to you longingly, lifting a spoon and reaching over to your bowl, holding a spoonful up to your lips. “eat up, sparky, ‘fore food gets cold.” He keeps his eyes on you, food steaming up and the scent of meat, beef maybe, hitting your stomach. You open your mouth to speak in confusion, but before you can, the spoon enters and many amazing flavors hit your tongue, your lips wrapped around the metal and your eyes looking up to Dust. You lift an eyebrow, and he pulls the spoon out of your mouth, clean of any food. You slowly chew, your cheeks still burning and getting even more red as you hold your hand up to your lips, covering them as you look down and chew. Aside from what just occurred, the food tastes absolutely fucking _holy_. Like, this is the best shit you’ve ever fucking tasted in your whole life. Sure, the cooks back at your old house did some shit, but nothing compared to this. You look up to Crooks, who’s looking at you and is practically shaking in his seat with excitement. You giggle, swallowing the food.

“HUMAN! WHAT DOES THINK OF FOOD?” Crooks spoke quicker than normal, and it earns another giggle.

“Crooks, I have never tasted anything better in my entire life. Seriously. And I’ve had some good food. This is wonderful. I can’t help but feel like I’m interrupting something, even though I was brought here on… _special_ circumstances.” You flash a glance to Axe, who only tilts his head a little. You roll your eyes playfully, looking back to Crooks.

“GLAD YOU LIKE! APOLOGIZE, BROTHER KNOW BETTER, MOST TIME. DUST SANS ALSO KNOW BETTER.” Crooks spares glances to the other skeletons, and knowing someone has your back makes your chest swell with confidence.

You reach for your spoon, but it’s suddenly lifted away from you, a frustrated grunt leaving your throat as you watch Axe take another spoonful from your bowl, holding it up to your mouth. You cross your arms.

“Look, I’m not a-” Again, you’re interrupted by Axe forcing the spoon in your mouth. You grumble at him, Axe pulling the spoon out with a grin. Crooks crosses his lanky arms, brow bones furrowing.

“your cheeks… look… like a… bunny.” Axe keeps his grin, and Crooks clears his nonexistent throat.

“BROTHER. LEAVE HUMAN TO EAT! NO NEED HELP!” Crooks shakes his hands in frustration, you chewing the food in your mouth and raising a hand to your mouth before anyone can interrupt your again.

“I agree with Crooks. I’m not a baby, I can eat food on my own. Thank you for trying to help, or whatever you were trying to do, but I can help myself.” You take the spoon away from Axe, grin faltering a little. You hesitate, dipping the spoon into the bowl, eyes drifting to Dust. He looks down at you, brow bone raised. You sigh. “Fine, but only three times _each_ , and I mean it. I don’t want any arguing.” The skeletons give grunts and chuckles of approval. This is gonna be a long night.

\--

“well? still no answers?” Red’s eyelights look to Sans, grin faltered to a scowl. Sans shakes his head.

“i guess one of them has her phone. all her calls go to voicemail and none of her messages appear read.” Sans sighs to himself, phalanges running over his skull, bone scraping against bone. A surge of magic rushes through the living room, the humid scent of rain going through the space.

“aren’ ‘n their cabin.” Mutt grunts, sitting on the couch, dog bone in his maw lit. Red pushes himself off of the couch in defiance, looking to Mutt.

“wha’d’ya mean they aren’ in their cabin?! where th’ hell else woul’ they be?!” Red, somehow, gently shouts, mindful of the sleeping persons upstairs.

“calm down, freaking out won’t get us anywhere.” Sans returns to silence, staring at his open phone screen, multiple texts staring him back in the face. “well, i think i know what we have to do.” Sans pulls up a contact, staring it in the face. He doesn’t want to, and really doesn’t feel like dealing with the asshole at the moment, but he has no other choice. Red can read the look on his face, and the scowl returns.

“absolu’ely fuckin’ not. already got ‘nough fuckers ‘round ‘er. don’t need ‘im.” Red pulls out his phone, probably to text you again.

“would you rather wait until the morning for them to drop her off?” Sans looks back up to Red, who’s brow bone is now raised. Silence sits between the three, and Red growls, a deep growl set deep behind his sternum, arms crossed.

“fine. jus’ make sure ‘e ge’s there quickly.” Red presses himself up, storming up the stairs, somehow quietly. Sans sits back into his seat, pressing the call button on the contact on his screen and lifting it to his metaphorical ear.

\--

To be completely honest with yourself, you’ve been through worse. These guys are fine, to say the least, and you’re getting along swimmingly with two of them, the other subtly threatening you while flirting with you all at once, in a sort of ‘I wanna kill you but I also wanna fuck your brains out’. It doesn’t make sense. Crooks went to bed, leaving you with Dust briefly. You tried to ask about his brother, but it was met with tense silence. You quickly moved on. Axe tried to get in with the flirting as well when he came back, but after a while you noticed that he was doing it with a tense grin while Dust looked at him, waiting for something. It was kind of adorable, so you’re left on the fence about Axe while you’re still on the side of ‘proceed with caution’ with Dust. You’re currently sat in the middle of them on the couch in their living room area.

“hey sparks.”

“Hm?” You hum towards Dust questioningly, who currently has an arm around your space, resting on the pillow behind you, that was previously on your waist that you shoved off of yourself.

“what is the definition of trust?” Dust’s grin spreads rapidly, and Axe genuinely grins, too.

“I don’t know, what?” You decide to humor him, crossing your arms across your chest.

“two cannibals giving each other blowjobs.” There’s a beat of silence, before the two skeletons break out into laughter, and you’re left utterly disgusted by their twisted humor. They’ve been sparingly telling jokes like this all evening. It’s horribly hilarious. A knock rings out from the front door.

“dusty, axe, i know you’re here. open the door, now.” The voice comes up from behind it. You can’t pin the voice on anyone you already know, so you assume this could only mean another skeleton. Just how many are there? Axe and Dust are clearly bothered, Dust moreso, and another knock comes as they try to ignore it. “don’t ignore me. you’ve been ignoring everyone’s calls and texts and you took the poor girl’s phone. don’t make me shortcut in there.” The voice returns, firmly. Dust stands with a grunt, reluctantly, and approaches the door. The door opens, and Dust stands firmly in front of it to make sure you can’t see.

“what the fuck do you want _now_?” Dust grumbles.

“i told you, i came for the girl. give her her phone back, and let her leave. you two have had your fun for the night. and trust me when i say, if you won’t let this be me, it’ll be someone else who’s a _lot_ less reasonable than i.” This time, the voice takes on almost a regal tone. It’s a bit odd, but it’s nice that someone is firm _and_ rational around here. Dust stands there for a moment, before pulling your phone out from his pocket, and tossing it back to you, you catching it with a second to spare before it hits the ground, and you’re finally given a moment to look at your notifications that you’ll have to clear later, but one notification surprises you and significantly stands out from the rest. You set it off to the side for now, placing your phone in your pocket. Dust moves from the door, now able to see somewhat of who’s picking you up. You stand, looking back to Axe, and firmly to Dust.

“This was.. Alright. If you wanted to hang out and meet me, you didn’t have to kidnap me. I can give you my number if you want.” You look to Axe, who’s stone faced now. Dust looks at least a bit smug and prideful.

“don’t worry ‘bout it, already in there.” Dust’s grin widens, and your jaw drops a little, promptly shutting your mouth again and shaking your head.

“I don’t wanna know. It was nice meeting you, Axe. You too, Dust. Tell Crooks I said bye when he wakes up.” You push yourself to the door, and before you can get a good look on the skeleton, you feel bone pushing your chin up and to the left, looking up at Dust.

“don’t hesitate to text me. if vanilla and the fuckin’ brady bunch are giving you issues, door’s always open, sparky.” Dust tries to drag his thumb on your lip, but you promptly catch his wrist bone, shoving his hand away. He chuckles a little, and you turn to the new skeleton. He’s taller than Sans, but shorter than Papyrus, notably. He’s wearing a black pleather jacket, pushed up to reveal his forearm bones. A white turtleneck is underneath, black jeans and a belt covering his leg bones, combat boots on his feet. His skull bears two scars, connected to either ends of his eye sockets, on his right socket going up toward his crown, and his left socket going down toward his jaw.

“come, angel, your time here is up. they aren’t supposed to be here, anyway. everyone back at the lodge is worried about you.” He nods towards you, a blush burning your cheeks as you turn to wave to the other skeletons, before stepping out and joining him outside. “allow me to now formally introduce myself. i’m g. i already know your name, so no need to introduce.” He nods towards you, holding a bent arm out. “seriously, they’re all worried about you, sans texted me and said that the house was a complete mess without you. they all really care about you, truly. they searched their entire property for you.” He smiles towards you, and you place a hand on his, knowing what a shortcut means.

“Really? I mean, they didn’t have to do that, but I seriously understand why they’re worried. Came out in one piece, so I’m not totally complaining. They were nice enough, and Crooks is a total sweetheart.” Your chest warms again fondly with the memory. “They definitely need to work on personal space, though. ‘Specially Dust.” 

“on a nickname basis already, i see that you’re already warming up to them. faster, albeit quicker than comfortable, than any of us could have expected. we honestly wanted you to stay away, but none of us could have predicted this. anyone not living in the main lodge is my responsibility, so i apologize for not preventing this sooner, i should have known that they were up to something.” G looks down to you apologetically. You shrug. 

“I’ve had worse done to me. They’re gonna get over it eventually, they’re just comfortably overprotective of me. There’s some things that are out of their control, out of mine, some out of everyone’s. We’re just gonna have to get used to it. I won’t be here for long, so there’s no need to worry, really.” You look up to him again after subtly reminding yourself that _this unique, skeleton ridden insanity won’t be permanent, no matter how fond you’ve grown to them like you’ve known them for years_. He seems… surprised? Worried? Disappointed? He quickly recovers. 

“that is, if you actually decide to leave, yes. we haven’t worked together this well in a long time, angel. it’s been a while since sans has called me on his own volition for something that wasn’t purely out of needing to.” G pulls something out of his pocket, placing what you can now see to be a cigarette between his teeth. Your eyebrows furrow. You know you subtly reminded yourself of the temporary label, but things have gotten pretty wild recently. 

“I just feel bad by burdening this onto you guys. I can hold my own. I’ve been holding onto my own for a while, I know what I’m doing when it comes down to the gist of it. I don’t know if you’re completely aware of what’s been going on, but I don’t like dragging people through the mud of my life and getting you dirty handed. Not that I don’t appreciate it. I’m not… used to letting people in- wow, okay, I’m so sorry, I’m rambling, it’s been a while-”

“no no, please, i insist. holding it in isn’t good for the Soul” G nods to you. Your lips purse. “don’t overthink it, angel, it’s just an offer.”

“Maybe another day? Seeing we’re already on nickname terms, I think we’re going a little fast.” You look over to him, you two now just walking aimlessly into the dark woods. Should you be really doing this? But Sans trusts him, so you trust them, too. He’s not one to just hand out trust cards willy nilly. Plus, he did come and get you and ‘save’ you or whatever from the clutches of Dust and Axe, who are no doubt ready to see you again.

“you insisting you’ll see me again? i’m a busy skeleton.” He teases, making you grin a little.

“You insisting you want my number?” You tease back, eyes digging into his eyelights. He chuckles a little.

“you sure you wanna give it to me? might be hard to reach most days.” G hums, looking out onto the night. It’s beautiful out, and the weather is nice. You stopped walking, taking your phone out from your pocket, already on the move to make a new contact. He laughs a little louder now. “wow, you’re serious. alright, angel.”

Eventually you exchange numbers, getting a confirmation text from G before you shortcut through the very familiar void. You’ve known Sans for a while, so your stomach and body are used to the surge of magic and twang of emptiness you get when going through the Void. You stick the landing, giggling a little when G is surprised. You shrug up to him, and give him a large hug goodbye, to keep the jealousy from the others at bay, but it seems like they already know you’re there.

“kotenok! ‘oly shi’! by th’ angel, don’ scare us like tha’ ever again!” Red is the first to come out, scooping you up bridal style and spinning you, the light scent of vinegar wafting off of him. G is taken aback as you start to laugh, seeing glimpses of Stretch, Mutt, and Sans standing by the door, Red finally stopping after a while. “y’scared th’ life outta us.” Red pants, and you can feel the subtle rattle of something behind his ribcage. You giggle again, your heart racing now, too, seeing Stretch approach.

“red was a whole _sap_ the entire time, had an entire bottle of mustard before you came.” Stretch snickers, gesturing to the forest around the property, looking at Red who is currently giving him the death eye(light).

“Okay, okay, but I was gone for only a few hours, I didn’t _die_ , so can you please put me down? Also, tree puns? Really, Stretch?” You shake your head, Red slowly letting you down onto the grass reluctantly.

“only for you, honey bee.” He winks his socket at you, and you can only roll your eyes.

“were worried they _gobbled ya up_ before we could get t’ya.” Mutt adds, lit dog treat between his sharp teeth, silver tooth glimmering in the moonlight. You stand there for a quiet moment, before you groan and stuff your hands in your pockets.

“Before you can all overwhelm me with stupid puns,” You take a breath, turnin to G. “, thanks for taking me home, and dealing with everyone. I’m sure you don’t get enough thanks for it.” You nod. He turns his skull up a bit at you.

“don’t mention it, angel. i’ll be on my way, don’t get ‘napped too much while i’m gone.” He grins down to you, before he blips away, leaving a lingering, soft scent of chamomile behind. You sigh, rolling the tension from your shoulders, letting the boys lead you inside, sitting in the living room, sure to be quiet because of the sleeping skeletons upstairs. The awake skeletons are downstairs, Mutt’s treat now snuffed out as he sits besides you loyally, as he always does, and Stretch taking your other side despite Red’s silent arguments through glares and growls. The only one that looks tense is Sans.

“kid. let me start by saying, are you okay? did they hurt you?” Sans looks intently up to you from the lounge chair placed across from the L-shaped couch, his shoulders pressed up near the sides of his skull. His eyelights are very clear, very focused white circles staring into your eyes. He looks worried and anxious, and shows it, which is something rare to witness.

“Well, let me start from the very beginning.” You then go on to explain to Sans, and the other witnesses, of the fiasco of Asher backing you up, seeing Axe, Axe lifting his cleaver pinto view before shortcutting you away into his room, leaving you on his bed and telling you to stay there before finally leaving his bedroom door. You didn’t dare move, or leave, not knowing what he could possibly do. How they took your phone, and Dust threatening you-

“wai’, he _threatened wit’ a fuckin’ knife_?!” Red suddenly pushed himself up, everyone glaring at his outburst. He growls again. “none ah you a’e concerned?! that dusty fuckin’ basta’d took a knife and put i’ on ah throa’!”

“Could you let me finish please? He didn’t leave any marks, see?” You quickly lifted your head, tilting your chin from side to side so everyone could get a good look. Red sighs, running a hand over his skull.

“sorry, sorry, _kotenok_ , ‘m jus’ worried. tha’s all.” Red holds his arms up in a surrender, and you sigh.

You return to your tale of your evening, how you met Crooks, vocally displeased of his name, and his _amazing_ food; how you talked in the living room and Dusty and Axe tormenting you with jokes about murder and cannibalism, still unsure what that’s all about, and finally G picking you up.

“And now we’re here. No harm done.” You shrug. You’re pleased with the ending of today, a slight smile on his face. Everyone is visibly a little more relaxed, but you can still feel the soft hum of tense magic lingering.

“well, as long as you’re safe, but i just have to say one thing. i’m really sorry i didn’t warn you about them earlier. they’re really dangerous if you say something wrong, or breathe wrong. axe and crooks _ate_ people to stay alive, which is why they act and talk the way they do. dusty, true to his name, is also a mass murderer. i won’t go into detail right now, i will soon, but that’s the gist of it. please, if you can, stay away from them? please?” Sans says this pleadingly, hands dug deep into his hoodie pockets. Your eyebrows furrow.

“Well, I already have their numbers and promised I would swing by to hang out again, and I’m not sure if I want to avoid them for my sake, yours, and theirs, considering Axe was literally skinning me alive with his stare when C asked. Plus, I genuinely like hanging out with them. Sure, Dust can be a little invasive, Axe barely speaks, and C can be overwhelming, but they’re not horrible. If they wanted to hurt me, like you so imply, they would have already. I get a strong impression that they don’t hesitate.” You flip your phone back and forth in your hoodie pocket desicively, sparing glances to the skeletons who are staring back at you with mixed reactions. You hold your ground, though, shoulders square next to yourself. Sans sighs.

“at least promise to be careful. for me. for us. so we can sleep a little better at night knowing you’re not-”

“Always in immediate danger?”

“we’re jus’ worried ‘bou’ ya, _schatz_ , don’ take i’ personally when we say tha’ y’shoul’ be wary ‘round ‘em.” Mutt grunts next to you, pushing himself up. “promise t’be careful ‘round th’ woods, an’ we’ll be silver.” Mutt’s grin widens, showing off his silver tooth, which makes you grin.

“Isn’t it supposed to be ‘and we’ll be golden’?” You finally pull your phone out, checking the time. It’s pretty late now, and you didn’t even realize how much time has passed.

“i’m th’ one with th’ golden tooth, _kotenok_.” Red winks in your direction, and it draws a small giggle out of you, and you swear for a second that you see a small dusting of red across his cheekbones.

“Okay, fine. I’m going to bed, I’m fucking exhausted. Goodnight, guys.” You stand, each skeleton saying their goodnights with their respective nicknames, and it makes you blush a little, each one standing victoriously in their attempts at flirting. Damn these fucking skeletons. Damn them and their smoothness. Who made it legal for skeletons to be this smooth. You look down to your phone, reading through and responding to each flurry of messages, holding your ear to and away from your phone, listening to voicemail after voicemail. It really is overwhelming, and comforting how much these guys care about you in such a small time. Some of them still are a little wary, sure, but you don’t blame them. You just met and suddenly you’re their temporary roommate. Temporary. You finally open the last message, sent around the time Axe ‘napped you, the one you kept for last, just to treat yourself.

**[Megrim]** : Hey, how was your day? I know we’ve made plans to make some solid ones in the future, but I must know if you’re really still up for it. I don’t want you to feel pressured, harmony. Text me when you’re next available so I may call you and we can make some together. - Megrim

Your smile from your boys widen, quickly texting back.

**[You]** :So sorry! Today was sooo crazy. Finally home, are you sure it isn’t too late? I don’t want to keep you up or anything :(

And, to your surprise, after a moment, the white texting bubble appears.

**[Megrim]** : Not at all, harmony, you caught me at just the right time.  
**[You]** : Are you sure? It’s almost 11.  
**[Megrim]** : On a Friday. I’m sure, harmony, don’t worry yourself too much over me. 

On que, Megrim’s caller ID appears on your screen. Your heart skips a beat, your breath catching in your throat, finally answering on the third ring. His voice is nice, as ever, music to your ears and making your sternum ache a bit. You lift the heel of your palm to your chest, calming yourself, talking to him into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST I'M SORRY THIS GOT SO LONG and holy moly we got not three, but FOUR new boys! wowie! i lied to you tee hee, anyway here's the list of boys you just met:
> 
> Dusttale Sans - Dusty  
> Horrortale Sans - Axe  
> Horrortale Papyrus - Crooks  
> Echotale Sans - G
> 
> i'd like to give my interpretation inspiration of axe credit to oolongteacup who wrote 'the house on lane 66', if you could tell i took inspiration from his very spaced out speaking/dialect, etc, and llama_goddess who wrote 'aggre(g/v)ation' and their 'skull's version of axe, because i loved the absolute gentle giant beast of a skeleton they wrote. i couldn't help but write him like a big and cuddly puppy with a bit of flirt due to dust's influence. i had trouble deciding whether i wanted to call him skull or axe, but kept it to the classic name.
> 
> also, let me add this in; in no way am i trying to baby or infantilize crooks by giving him dialect with a smaller vocab list and restricted speech, i'm just trying to portray the trauma having restricted food and living in the universe he did had on him. same reason axe speaks the way he does. thanks so much for understanding.
> 
> and i'm already working on the next chapter, lots of fluff on our way for our lovely mc. only loving times next chapter. promise. *wink*
> 
> translations:  
> kotenok - kitten  
> schatz - treasure
> 
> please post fanart to #t3g and/or tag my tumblr @marcykinsmaki updates when i can! :3


	9. Be My Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An abrupt wake up call leaves you for a bad taste in your mouth, and with the added stress from the rest of the week, the boys know just how to cheer you up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woaaahhh 100 kudos????? thank you guys so much, i'm really glad that you guys like my story so much. now i have so many eyes on me oops. oh well. y'all already know i'm excited. not much else to update.
> 
> BY THE WAY this chapter is going to be EXTREMELY LONG (30 pages long in my doc) because didn't want to make these particular events into two parts. like, this shit is going to be almost 10k words probably, but that's only because of all the songs in this chapter. they'll be listed at the end. 
> 
> enjoy the new chapter!
> 
> if the text change bothers you, 'hide creator's style' will do the trick ;)

_It’s cold. It’s so, so cold. You can feel the jitters of the freezing scene all around you settle into your bones down to the marrow. The wind is whipping around you, freshly fallen snow coming down behind it. You want to look around, but whatever you’re inhabiting at the moment doesn’t care for the world around it. However, you can see, to your left, a flowing river, your feet on top of a snowy path, littered in a light grey that you can barely notice past the blizzard. Your chest pounds. Not your heart, but your sternum, more specifically. You want to stop, you want to stop so badly, but you have no other choice. You can’t stop. You have to finish this before_ they _come back and finish the job. This is the only way. Then you can wait until they reset and kill them before they can do anything else._

_” BROTHER? PLEASE. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, OR WHY, BUT YOU HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE HERE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS. I CARE ABOUT YOU DEEPLY. W-WE CAN SPAR LATER, BUT THIS IS RIDICULOUS!” Your eyes finally focus. Your hands aren’t yours. They’re skeletal. It’s out in front of you, trembling. Ahead, is a much larger skeleton. He looks like Papyrus, and he is. He couldn’t be anyone else, but he looks really tired. Really, really tired. You can feel something flowing through your ver being. From your marrow, through your veins, and expelling outside of your bosom. You can’t pull your eyes away, and suddenly your cheeks warm against the freezing setting with a fresh moisture. You’re crying. There are broken, sharp bones littered everywhere. There’s a crown of sharp bones around Papyrus’ skull, threatening to dive right in without mercy. It’s not like you could give him any anyway. “PLEASE, SANS. I-I KNOW WHAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING. I’M N-NOT A BABYBONES ANYMORE. I BELIEVE IN YOU. I BELIEVE Y-YOU CAN MAKE THE RIGHT CHOICE.” But you can’t. You know you can’t. You have to do this. Why? Because they’ll come around and kill him fir_

_The scene changes. You’re so fucking hungry. It’s literally insatiable. Your chest feels empty, but raw and scorched. It feels hurt. It hurts, but it’s hurt for so long so does it even matter anymore? There’s also a dull ache in your skull. Oh my stars that’s part of your fucking skull on the ground what the Hell just happened, get your hands off of my brother! Stay away from him, Undick! You want to get him but you can’t fucking move. This is why you came in in the first place, to keep her from getting him to restart the CORE. It’s not his damn fault the old man’s shitty fucking machine stopped. Why should_ he _get all the fucking shit for it? But you know why. She wanted_ you _all along. Your brother was just a ploy. What a fucking coward. Using your family to trick you into your own inevitable death that you can’t escape because that lousy fucki_

Your body heaves itself up, gasping and fresh tears rolling down your cheeks. What the Hell was that? Your heart is pounding behind your ribcage, your body covered in a thin coating of sweat, chilling you and giving proof of your overheated state at the same time. Seriously, what the _fuck_ did you just see? Your head hurts, and your mind throbs at the attempt to try and grasp the memory of your nightmare. You only remember a lot of death. And a powerful feeling pouring from your chest. The smell of dust and the weight of something on your shoulders. And guilt. So much fucking guilt. You could put it in a fucking jar and sell it. The room is still dark, and you reach for your phone that you know you left next to you last night after spilling basically your entire fucking life story to Megrim, clicking it on. A bright 5:15 AM shines back in your face, and you quickly click your phone off, head still pounding with pain. You lift your hands to rub your eyes with the heels of your palms. Your stomach rumbles, signaling its need. You can still feel tears running down your cheeks, sniffling. You try and takes moment to take a few deep breaths, reaching over to your phone and to your nightstand to plug in your headphones to your phone, playing a random song to distract your brain.

You push yourself up from your bed, slipping some shorts on, careful to keep yourself quiet as soft music plays into your ears, blocking out the rest of the world from your mind to fill the blank space. You despise normal world noise when you’re flipping out, especially for seemingly no reason. You just can’t sway the guilt from your consciousness, even if it isn’t yours. Your take yourself to the kitchen, thankfully empty and the reddish-blue seeping in through the windows from the open road leading out to the trail that leads out to the city. A smile creeps onto your lips as one of your favorite songs at the current time drifts into your ears [comfortingly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwzk-XZxZ4k).

**Quién lo diría**

**Que se podría hacer el amor por telepatía**

**La luna está llena, mi cama vacía**

**Lo que yo te haría**

**Si te tuviera de frente la mente te la volaría**

**De noche y de día, de noche y de día**

You hum along with the song gently, knowing you just can’t keep yourself from singing along. You loved this song so much, you basically know the lyrics, Spanish and English, like the back of your hand. You mentally high five yourself, because if you tried with all your might to speak this language you barely knew without help you would have embarrassed yourself, and it’s a beautiful language nonetheless so you couldn’t help but fall in love with this. You reach into the fridge as you sing, the bright light of the machine blaring into your face as you reach for the water filter.

**(You) You know I’m just a flight away**

I **f you wanted, you could take a private plane**

**A kilómetros estamos conectando**

**Y me prendes aunque no me estés tocando**

**You know I got a lot to say**

******All these voices in the background of my brain** ** **

******Y me dicen todo lo que estás pensando** ** **

******Me imagino lo que ya estás maquinando** ** **

You continue your humming, going right through the next verse and repeated chorus, singing flawlessly, at least to you, through the lyrics like nothing. It took you a while to finally catch the normal speed the original singer signs it, she just flows through it so easily and it’s amazing. It’s obvious she’s fluent, and you’re not, but it’s still a beautiful song nonetheless. You could, and have, listened to this for hours on loop. It’s motivating, relaxing, and it makes you feel comfortingly warm. You’re completely distracted by this song, the world shut out. It’s you and yourself, as far as you’re concerned. No one else exists other than you, and that’s good enough for now.

**(You) You know that I can see right through you**

**I can read your mind** **I can read your mind**

**What you want to do**

**It's written all over your face times two**

**'Cause I can read your mind** **I can read your mind**

You sway your hips to the melody, bringing the glass of water up to your lips to takes drink and holy fuck is it refreshing to your throat. You were never one for tea, you kinda hate it, really. You’ll drink it when you’re sick, but otherwise it’s fucking nasty. You’ll take water, thank you.

**(You) I can hear your thoughts like a melody**

**Listen while you talk when you're fast asleep**

**You stay on the phone just to hear me breathe**

**On repeat**

The song is quick to end after that, resorting back to your normal humming, turning and almost jumping out of your fucking skin because holy _fuck-_

“Edge! Holy Angel, you scared the bejesus out of me. Maybe next time, give me a little warning?” You groan quietly, your body now facing Edge, who is dressed up in his battle body. You pull your headphones out of your ears, looking up to his empty sockets. He looks a tad.. Relaxed? He’s almost never relaxed, but this time it seems like he’s having a hard time looking angry. You pause your music. “Are you… okay?”

“I’m Fine. I Just Didn’t Expect To Come Down Here First Thing In The Morning And Find You Singing Like A Fucking Songbird. It’s Abnormal You’re Up This Early.” Edge speaks to you with a suspicious hunch, and even in the dark of the kitchen, which you know that monsters can see better in the dark from knowing Sans for so long, you can see him eyeing you.

“Oh, uh, I had a nightmare again.” You admit softly. You honestly don’t care what Edge thinks about you anymore. Edge and Black remind you of one tiny and one slightly less tiny pomeranians, even if they do bear sharp teeth and go on and on about being malevolent and evil. “Sorry if my singing bothered you, I just got into it.” You shrug, watching Edge’s skull for any change. You two stand there for a few beats, Edge grumbling something under his breath, walking to the fridge, which lights up his bones at an angle you’ve never experienced. God, Asher really did limit your interactions with your favorite skeletons, didn’t he? Fuck him. Okay, brain, not the time. Wow, you guess this is something you should bring up to your therapist. You haven’t brain-rambled this much ever since Asher basically trained you out of it-

"Y/N!”

“Huh? What? Sorry, just thinking. What did you say?” You shake your head a little, now fully facing Edge.

“I Said That Your Singing Is… Adequate. I Would Not Completely Hate Hearing More Of It.” And at that, your eyes widen. Holy shit. Edge being nice? At least a little? Without alcohol or anything to persuade him? You know monster alcohol exists, you know the extent it goes to. You know what it does to monsters. A smirk grows onto your face. The world has cracked open this opportunity door and you are going to nail that bitch wide open.

“So what I’m hearing is, is ‘Y/N please sing for me again’.” You tease, sipping your water again. He sputters a bit, almost dropping whatever he was taking out of the fridge, while you wedge your phone in between the waistband of your shorts and your hip bone.

“T-THAt- That Is An Absolutely Ridiculous Claim!” Edge quickly quiets himself before he wakes up the whole damn house, which only gets you to laugh as your body shakes in attempt to keep itself quiet. Edge glares at you as you try to weakly hold back your laughter. He grunts, shaking his head and turning to the coffee maker.

“Look, if you want me to, I will. I don’t care, I don’t think I’m going back to sleep anyway. I won’t tell anyone about this, if you won’t. I don’t think anyone wants to find out about The Terrible Edge’s latest canoodling with a human at five-thirty in the morning, it could ruin his reputation.” You playfully bump his ribs as you walk past him, and to the couch, plopping yourself down with your glass of water and placing it gently onto the coffee table in front of you, simply enjoying being, taking your phone from being wedged. You scroll aimlessly through social media, and he silently takes a seat a few feet away from you, looking down very seriously to his steaming mug. You look to him, raising an eyebrow.

“Fine. But Only If You Promise You Do Not Tell Anyone. I Will Also Keep This… ‘Canoodling’ A Secret. Do Not Think Anything Otherwise, Human-Y/N,” Oh my Stars he just addressed you by your fucking name for the first time. “, This Is Simply A Singing-And-Listening Moment. Nothing More, Nothing Less. Why The Hell Are You Looking At Me Like That?”

“What? Oh, I’m just, you addressed me by my name for the first time. You’ve only ever addressed me as ‘that’ or ‘human’. I’m flattered, really.” You can’t help but grin a little victoriously. Just a few days ago you were whisper-yelling at him to leave you alone, and here you are now offering to sing to him because you can’t fall asleep after a nightmare of whatever it was at five-thirty in the morning.

“Well, Don’t Expect It For Too Much Longer. I Can Only Handle So Much Intelligence Below My Own.” He sighs. Okay, that pissed you off a lot. You roll your eyes.

“Let’s just get this over with, I don’t wanna listen to how much denial you’re in.” You shake your head, scrolling through your phone to find a good song to sing.

“Do You- Wait, Excuse Me?!” Edge interrupts himself, and you just focus on your Spotify. “Denial?! I Am Not In Denial! Of Anything! I Am A Perfectly Capable And In Tune Skeleton!” And he continues with whatever he’s complaining about, but when the song starts, he stops, and leaves you to do your thing, forgetting whatever he was just complaining about.

You both lose track of time.

\--

When your vision returns, you can hear snickers and small whispers, your eyes fluttering open. There are noises coming from somewhere, and the air smells good. It was hard to focus your eyes at first, but you could notice multiple bodies around you. You can feel something against you to your left, and wrapped against you. Something warm and heavy on top. You push your hands up to your eyes, rubbing your eyeballs into your sockets for a second before you finally look left, and see Edge sleeping oh my fucking angel what.

Your ass in on his lap, his right arm around your waist and holding you close. There are a few people in the living room, oogling at you two. You’re still feeling a little sleepy, even with the sleep rubbed away from them. You can feel the subconscious rise and fall of Edge’s ribcage against your side. Your back aches and spine protests as you try adjusting. You look up to the menagerie, and it consists of Blue, Papyrus, Red and Stretch, all looking at you two and whispering. You hold a finger up to your lips in a quiet motion, and you slowly slip yourself out of Edge’s hold, slowly padding your feet onto the floor from toe to heel. It works, thankfully, and Edge is still asleep, and you have your phone and headphones.

“Jealous or somethin’?” You quietly tease, stretching out your body as a few of them stare at you silently like you just murdered their respective brothers, making your way upstairs to change for the day, the noise picking back up as you leave. You leave the rest of the skeletons to be shocked by whatever you just did. You check your phone, and 10:02 AM shines in your face. You’re tempted to tell everyone what happened, but the only thing they really need to know is that you ended up there somehow. Maybe Edge will tell Red. You’ve always suspected that they’re closer than they make it seem like they are, even when Red seems to tense up and follow every order blindlessly, you know they love each other. That reminds you to ask Sans about something later. You keep your current outfit on, and slip a basic black sweatshirt with a tie-dye mushroom on the front. You head back downstairs, seeing Edge awake now, no one else up yet.

“FINALLY. YOU’RE AWAKE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LEAVING ME HERE TO BE ABSOLUTELY AND COMPLETELY EMBARRASSED.” Edge announces up to you, and his volume for just getting up makes you giggle. “DON’T LAUGH! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS.” Edge waggles a glove-covered finger at you, sitting next to his brother again and you can’t help but laugh more, feeling an arm wrap around your waist, pulling you close, your head turning to meet Stretch’s tired, relaxed skull. You’ve gotten used to the random grabbing and pulling, sometimes you’re not in the mood for it; Sans has definitely jumped on the boys every once in a while, but they never do it when you make it vocal that you’re not up for it. It’s really nice, and better than you expected. It doesn’t feel forced, or strained. It’s loving, and you like it, even if you’ve known them for a few days. It is weird, and the timing is questionable, but like you said, it’s nice and you don’t care until you do.

“mornin’, honey bee. sleep okay?” Stretch leans into you. You lean back into him, and nod.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Hungry as shit, though.” Blue approaches you now, hands on his hips. Like all the other battle-body-bearers, his also is on today.

“IT’S GOOD TO SEE YOU’RE DOING WELL THIS MORNING, MY FAIR MAIDEN. COULD YOU HELP US SET THE TABLE? BREAKFAST IS FINALLY SERVED!” Blue reaches a hand out, and you look to Stretch apologetically as he lets you go off with Blue to help him with setting up breakfast. “I’M GLAD WE FINALLY GET TO HAVE OUR FIRST SATURDAY BREAKFAST TOGETHER! WE TRY TO MAKE THIS SPECIAL AND GET EVERYONE TOGETHER!” Blue nods to you, handing you some plates as you help him set out the dishes and other utensils he hands you.

“Well I’m more than happy to be a part of it. I’m kinda tired from yesterday’s whole fiasco, everyone’s been on my butt. Okay regardless, though.” You yawn as you speak, shaking your head a little as you do. When you look up to Blue, who’s eyelights are literal stars. You can’t help but be a little excited now, because Blue’s eyelights only get like that when he’s on to something. You smile to him, tilting your head a little. “You doing okay, Blue?”

“OH! YES! MWEH HEH HEH! I KNOW THE PERFECT WAY TO SETTLE DOWN FROM THE EVENTS OF THE WEEK! WE SHOULD SPEND THE WHOLE DAY TOGETHER, WITH THE REST OF THE LODGE! IT WOULD BE SO FUN! AND EVERYONE WILL BE AT BREAKFAST TO HEAR ABOUT IT!” Blue is practically vibrating in his marrow, which makes you giggle.

“we c’n ‘ear ya jus’ fine, baby blue.” Red adds in from the living room, who’s nursing a mug of coffee, much to the cooks of the morning’s dismay.

“WELL NOT EVERYONE IS HERE YET, SO YOU CAN WAIT UNTIL EVERYONE IS HERE TO GIVE YOUR OPINION! EVEN IF NO ONE WANTS TO HANG OUT TODAY, I GUESS LIL’-”

“who th’ ‘ell said i wasn’ gonna ‘ang? ah go’ nothin’ t’do t’day.” Red smirks up to you, the shine of his gold tooth reflecting in the sunlight. You roll your eyes, finishing up setting the table.

“Well I think what Blue was trying to say was, we’ll wait until everyone gets here so we can see who’s coming and who’s not. It’ll be easier that way, and Blue will _not_ be trying to make everyone jealous even if he is actually the only one who wants to hang out today.” You look at Red for a moment, who only frowns a bit and returns to his coffee and his phone screen with a scowl.

“wha’s this abou’ ‘angin’ ou’ t’day?” Mutt replies as he’s walking down the steps, half gnawed dog treat in his mouth.

“Blue wants to help me relax from this week’s stuff by just doing whatever. No specific plans, but I believe everyone is conveniently off today, right? Got any plans, Mutt?” You shoot him a glance, placing the final piece of silverware on the table, hands on your hips.

“no’ tha’ i know abou’, _schatz._ ” Mutt winks, swallowing the last of his dog treat as you hear Black coming down the steps behind Mutt, hands on his hips.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD WE POSSIBLY BE TALKING ABOUT THIS EAGERLY IN THE MORNING?” Black approaches you, arms crossed now, Mutt going over to the kitchen.

“Well good morning to you, too, Black.” You hum.

“NOT WHAT I ASKED. GOOD MORNING TO YOU, _PET._ NOW ANSWER ME.” Black’s now tapping his foot.

“Say please and address me by my name, and maybe I will.” You shrug, facing him completely now, mocking his stance, crossing your arms and leaning on one hip. Black frowns, almost like a pout.

“ANSWER MY QUESTION! I ASK YOU ANSWER, SIMPLE TASK!” Black’s arms are uncrossed now, stomping a little. You can see Red’s shoulders shaking, trying to stop himself from laughing, looking over at the scene. Blue’s staring, too, the large grin still on his face. You stay silent, and Black eventually gives. “FINE. CAN YOU _PLEASE_ TELL ME WHAT IN THE WORLD YOU COULD POSSIBLY BE TALKING ABOUT THIS MORNING, _HUMAN_?” Black smirks at his own version of your request, but that’s the best you’re gonna get.

“Better than Pet, I guess. Blue wants everyone to hang out today and relax after the craziness that we call ‘this past week’ occurred. And honestly, I don’t think it’s a bad idea, it’ll give us all a chance to just do whatever. I think taking advantage of our rare collective off day would be a good thing! I can’t help but feel like I’m intruding, though-”

“OF COURSE NOT, MY FAIR MAIDEN! YOU ARE A WELCOME MEMBER OF THIS HOUSE, EVEN IF EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATELY TEMPORARY!” Blue nods.

“I CAN’T HELP BUT AGREE, MY DEAR! BLUE AND I DISCUSSED THIS ALREADY THIS MORNING AND YOU ARE MORE THAN WELCOME TO JOIN US ON OUR HOUSE-WIDE ADVENTURES WHILE YOU ARE UNFORTUNATELY TEMPORARILY STAYING HERE!” Papyrus calls out from the kitchen. Why is everyone mentioning your stay so much?

“yeah. ‘s too bad. ya got’a se’ time ya stayin’ ‘ere?” Red looks over to you now.

“Uh, no? I don’t think so, I already feel like I’ve overstayed, but you guys got me into this kind of schedule thing, like… I don’t know, I never questioned it. I haven’t even been looking for a new place yet, but that could take forever… I could always move back-”

“NO!” Blue butts in, making you flinch a little, others quickly joining in.

“THAT WON’T BE NECESSARY, PET.” Black scowls, but you don’t necessarily think it’s towards you.

“’d rather ya stay ‘ere.” Red is now completely facing you, equally as annoyed as Black.

“AS PATHETIC AS MY BROTHER IS, AND I’M NOT SAYING THIS BECAUSE I LIKE YOU, BUT THEY ARE ANNOYING AND I’D RATHER NOT HEAR MORE OF ANYONE’S WHINING BECAUSE OF THOSE TWO.” Edge seems to finally comment, but not making eye contact with you.

“don’t usually agree with everyone, but i think it’d be best if you stayed here until you got a place, honey bee.” Stretch nods towards you from the living room, feet up on the coffee table, which earns a glare from Blue.

“Are you sure? Jackie and Asher already texted me a date last night to come and move their shit, and I don’t want to bother you all.”

“ _tibia_ honest, i wouldn’t have invited you here if i didn’t want you over or have you around the rest of the guys.” Your attention is brought to Sans, who is just now walking in to the living room.

“First of all, bad pun, second of all, I know that. I just.. I feel like a moocher? I..” You sigh, and everyone is looking at you expectantly. You shake your head. “Okay, I’ll stay until I find a new place. And only until then.” You at least try to stand your ground, but a majority of them look happy with your decision.

“BREAKFAST IS SERVED!”

Breakfast is fine. Turns out, everyone is coincidentally free and off of work today, or just happened to have no plans. Everyone’s moods were pretty amped after the fact that you had accepted to stay until you found a place, and everyone (also known as Red, Papyrus, and Blue) were very vocal about your stay being ‘unfortunately temporary’. Look, you knew when to mind your business, but you also knew when to start to be suspicious. You’re not a stars-damned idiot. There were a lot of things you’d been meaning to ask about, yet the universe seemed to shove something right in your face to keep you from talking or thinking about it for too long. Blue had insisted that you keep to the couch, since you were already in lounging wear for the day, and leave the cleaning up to the others. You had tried protesting, but everyone else had agreed. You were left to your own devices. It’d only been 6 days, barely, and they were already treating you like a regular houseguest. You know you’ve mentioned this to yourself a lot, but they were irregularly protective of you. Not that you didn’t appreciate it, the extra help and pairs of eyes were always accepted in your book. Even Dust offered to take you into his cabin with Axe and C if the lodge got to be too overwhelming. Sure, he threatened you, and held a very real knife to your throat, and Axe kidnapped you and locked you in his room, but like you said last night, they didn’t leave anything on you or actually legitimately hurt you. Maybe your intuition and self-preservation was a little rusty from being sheltered by Sans and Papyrus for a few years, but you walked out unscathed!

“SO, MAIDEN, WHAT SHALL WE WATCH FIRST?” Blue sat next to you this time, quickly taking a spot, and Stretch taking your other side on the couch, much to Red and Mutt’s dismay. Everyone took their own spots, or just didn’t want to join until later, so this left you with Blue, Stretch, Red, Mutt and Black.

“an’ don’ pick no kiddie movie.” Red grunts from his spot on the couch, looking to you with squinted eyesockets. You smirked.

“Disney movie marathon.”

And there set off the next few hours of Disney movies, singing, and making Red suffer, leaving Stretch and Mutt smug as Hell, Black annoyed, and Red even more so. Edge had denied to watch any of the Disney movies with you because, quote un-quote, ‘I Am Not A Damned Babybones’, which was promptly followed by a ‘Language!’ and a glare from Stretch. However, you caught him once or twice by the staircase trying to catch a glance or two. Lunch was free-for-all, which Papyrus had joined you now, followed by Sans. Even with Red’s consistent complaining and Edge denying his participation, you could see they were completely taken in by All Dogs Go To Heaven, even tearing up a little at the end. Tissues were definitely distributed during that time, the softness that was displayed by the edgier bunch of the family was absolutely fucking precious, seeing the glances they exchanged with each other between the brothers. You kept silent, of course, because their own experiences were none of your business. When the later hours of the night rolled around, you had finally rolled around to your preferred genre of movies.

“Okay, the Disney movies were fun, but now we _have_ to watch something scary, I’m definitely in the mood. I fucking _love_ horror movies.” You nod, scrolling through the Horror section on Netflix. You nodded to yourself, now holding a bowl of popcorn, seeing Red and Black smirking.

“LANGUAGE, PET.” Black turned from his seat on the floor, holding his own bowl. “HOWEVER, I AM INCLINED TO AGREE. ONWARD TO THE MOST OBVIOUS SUPERIOR GENRE.” Black smirked, turning back to the TV. Red pushes himself off of the couch, walking over to the kitchen. You raise an eyebrow to him.

“we can’ watch ‘orror movies withou’ alcohol, kitten. ‘s only tradition.” He winks to you, and you grin a little with a shake of your head.

“Tradition? According to what?” You follow him with your eyes, and he only looks back to you with a smirk.

“me. ‘m gettin’ pizza, too. ever tried monster alcohol?” Red pulled a bottle of an orange and red swirling drink, already partially drank out of. You shake your head. “good. now start th’ movie.” You roll your eyes, looking back to the screen.

“honey, you sure this is a good idea?” Stretch spoke, and you turned.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine! If it’s too scary for anyone, I’ll turn it off.” You shrug. His eyelights linger for a moment, nodding to you and looking back to the screen.

“D-DON’T BE RIDICULOUS! THE M-MAGNIFICENT BLUE HAS N-NOTHING TO FEAR!” You can hear Blue make a noise similar to a gulp.

“YES! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS A BRAVE BONES!” Papyrus holds a closed gloved fist to his chest, and you smile over at him.

“The bravest. This is one of my favorite series, so it’s Y/N-approved.” You wink over at him, and Sans turns to you and winks in a silent thanks. You nod over, and suddenly the lights go out in the living room, making a few of you flinch, and you break out in laughter. “Dude, what the fuck!”

“WE’RE WATCHING A SCARY MOVIE, ARE WE NOT? IT’S DARK OUTSIDE NOW, AND IT IS ONLY _TRADITION_ WE WATCH SCARY MOVIES IN THE DARK, SINCE SOME-BONES WANT TO BE SO BRAVE TONIGHT.” Edge announces from the darkness, walking over and claiming the seat Red had previously occupied.

“Okay, but that was _not_ funny.” You giggle a little, and you swear with the TV light you can see Edge actually, genuinely smile. You finally play the movie, Red joining you after a bit, dangling a red solo cup of the liquid in front of your face.

“take i’. i’ won’ hur’ ya.” Red whispers in a low voice, rumbling in his chest in a tone you didn’t know was possible but was definitely welcome. He shakes the cup a little, the ice clinking against the sides gently. You take it gently, cup cold with whatever was in it.

“I’m gonna hurt you if you’re lying.” You whisper back, bringing it up to your nose. You knew about monster alcohol, when Sans brought you back to the bar you first met after a while of not being there, and profusely apologizing to Grillby about lying about your age even though he knew, Sans stating ‘what they won’t know won’t hurt them’. It was filled with magic instead of the normal yeast-y stuff humans made to make their alcohol. Your senses were filled with a temporary rush, making your nose wrinkle. Sure, MA, your self-made abbreviation for monster alcohol, tasted and felt good in the moment, but you had been around it enough and known the skelebros long enough to know the difference between a magic-light and magic-heavy MA. You brought your lips to the edge of the cup, taking a small sip. It burnt a little going down, making you cough some, Stretch reaching around to pat you on the back, Red laughing a little silently, earning a loud ‘SH’ from his brother, which silenced him. “Shit, what the fuck is this?” You pull your cup back, and Stretch looks inside, squinting. He takes the cup from your gently, bringing it up to his teeth, making your cheeks heat a little with a blush.

“monster equivalent to hard liquor. not surprised red gave you this, trying to get you shit-faced. his version of relaxing.” Stretch rolls his eyelights, and gives you back the cup as if nothing happened, the blush still there. You shrug, taking a little more down, and trying to take in the flavor. A little sweet? With a tangy aftertaste. It was fine, not the best. But if what Stretch said was true, you were definitely going to avoid drinking this whole damn cup. You took small sips over the course of the movie, before the front door finally rang, followed by a knock. Red smirked, rising from his seat as all of you flinched, you giggling a little bit at the jumpscare that played from the screen. Things were getting good now, Red walking to the kitchen with the boxes of pizza, you reaching up to pause the movie.

“We’ll start the movie again after we all get food. For now, pizza time, bitches!”

Once you all got your pizza, and others who didn’t want the pizza getting their own respective foods, you played the movie again, and almost everyone was drinking now, some with harder liquor like you and less-alcoholic stuff like wine. Once the movie ended, Red had slammed a liquor bottle down, you halfway finished with your own cup, but thank God you had an iron stomach and you weren’t lightweight. Kinda happens when your family has generational alcoholism. But Stretch really wasn’t kidding when he said it was strong.

“le’s play ah drinkin’ game! ‘m done wit’ movies, le’s finally ‘ave some damn _adult_ fun!” Red smirked, excitedly striding over to the light switch and flicking the lights back on.

“What, ‘All Dogs Go To Heaven’ not adult enough for you?” You turned back to him with a smirk, making a few others snicker to Red’s dismay.

“I AGREE, PET, PERHAPS A GAME OF NEVER HAVE I EVER WOULD SUFFICE? IT SHOULD BE MUCH MORE EXCITING WITH YOU AROUND.” Black turned to you, and the others hummed in agreement.

“’aven’ seen ya le’ loose ye’. ‘f we’re really gonna ‘ave fun, we’re gonna ge’ ya shi’faced.” Mutt winks up to you, cradling a bottle closely to his chest.

“Fine, fine, fine. Circle up, motherfuckers. Never Have I Ever, take a shot if it applies to you. And we’re gonna drink _human_ alcohol, not monster, at least for me, because if I’m gonna be hung over, it’ll be from human stuff, not magic. Already got that experience once or twice, thank you very much.” You tipped back one l/ ast sip before leaving the cup on the table near you, standing yourself up as everyone got situated, Red retrieving more alcohol and shot glasses for everyone.

“yer no fun, _kotenok_.” Red hands you a bottle of vodka, you smiling up at him and mouthing a thank you. Red takes his place.

“Okay, who goes first?” You look among the group, Blue taping his phalanges on the floor.

“OHH! I’LL GO FIRST! NEVER HAVE I EVER MADE A HUMAN PASS OUT!” Blue grins at everyone, Stretch, Red, and Edge bringing reluctantly full shot glasses to their teeth, but Red seemed more than happy to.

“Care to share, Grumpy Bear?” You smiled to Red, who raised a brow bone.

“go’ frustrated a’ th’ fuckin’ cashier a’ th’ grocery store few weeks ago, all ‘m sayin’.” He laughs a little, Edge smacking him a little upside his head. You giggled.

“Okay, I’ll go next. Never have I ever went skinny dipping?” You pour the shot, bringing it to your lips and shooting it back, feeling the burn of the alcohol go down your throat. Sans tips the glass of alcohol back into his nonexistent throat, grinning over to you and giving you a bit of side-eye.

“ _care t’ share_ , kitten?” Red grins to you, and you giggle.

“I dunno, Sansy? You wanna have a little storytime?” You turn your head to Sans, who’s entire face is blue now.

“n-nah. you go next, mutt.”

“aww, c’mon, _schatz_ , ya go’ah tell ev’ryone when ya wen’ skinny dippin’.” Mutt chuckles a little, already drunk from the monster alcohol he drank while watching the movie.

“Hard pass. You’re up next, Mutty-boy.” You smirk, and he grins right back. The game goes on for a while, exchanging laughter, drinks, and you get quite a buzz on; Red’s gawking at your ability to drink, and every time it passes at his turn, he says a super simple statement, and everyone’s absolutely over it.

“I KNOW! WE SHOULD DO A VERY SPECIAL FAMILY NIGHT ACTIVITY THAT WILL DEFINITELY BE IN THE SKILLSET OF A MAJORITY OF PEOPLE HERE!” Papyrus suddenly speaks, drinking diluted monster alcohol instead of the regular stuff. Blue’s alcohol is diluted as well, thanks to his brother.

“And what might that be?” You smile up to him. He suddenly shoots up, and Blue stands up as well.

“FEAR NOT, FAIR MAIDEN, FOR I THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE WILL ACCOMPANY CINNAMON IN REVEALING SAID ACTIVITY! EVERYONE TO THE GARAGE, PLEASE!” His eyelights twinkle, and his excitement quickly infects you, but you’re confused by the nickname. You’ve heard everyone call Papyrus that before, except Sans and yourself. Another thing to ask about.

“we’re comin’, bro.” Stretch lifts a full shot glass up to his teeth, taking it down into the void behind them.

“UGH! I WILL NOT LET THIS NIGHT BE RUINED BY YOUR PUNS! AND DO NOT GET ANY MORE DRUNK TONIGHT THAN YOU NEED TO!” Blue quickly joins Papyrus in getting whatever they’re after, the group following them outside.

“’s better no’ be a waste.” Red pushes himself up, along, slowly, with everyone else. Sans just shortcuts there, but the rest of you walk.

“c’mon, lil’ red, i’ won’ b’ tha’ bad.” Mutt chuckles at Red’s angry scowl across his skull, Edge thwacking him upside the head.

“YOU FUCKING IMBICILE, GET A MOVE ON!” Edge shouts, making you smile a bit.

“LANGUAGE! HAVE YOU HAVE NO CLASS?” Black looks back to Edge. Before anyone can do anything, you step between them.

“No fighting, please, the night is just getting good!” You groan playfully, looking between the two as you all approach the garage.

“BEHOLD!” Papyrus presents the set up. In front of you is a large speaker, with a laptop connected, and a microphone laying on top.

“Ooh! Karaoke!” You smile up to Papyrus and Blue. They smile.

“karaoke? why th’ fuck would i-” Red is interrupted before he can finish.

“CORRECT, MAIDEN! WHO WANTS TO GO FIRST!” Blue looks among the crowd of you. You aren’t drunk enough to go just yet, but surprisingly, Stretch stands from next to you.

“i’ll go.” He smirks, weaving through the circle you’ve got going on, everyone now congregating to their own little space.

“GREAT! JUST OPEN THE SONG YOU WANNA SING AND SING INTO THE MICROPHONE!” Blue hands the microphone to Stretch, who nods. Papyrus and Blue move out of the way to congregate to certain chairs or beanbags that have been set up for your sitting needs. Stretch leans down to the open laptop, furiously typing in a song choice. Red sighs, pushing himself up.

“’m gonna need alcohol f’r this.” He grumbles, shortcutting away. You smile to yourself, happy that everyone is joining in. You pick a beanbag, Blue quickly bouncing over to join you, taking the seat next to you. Stretch grins to himself, clicking once and the song and the catchy beat beginning to play. You gasp to yourself a little, your hands flailing in your lap. You _love_ this song. Red re-appears just in time for the [singing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdFF849j_NY).

**(Stretch) As we wake up she begins curling up to me in her underwear**

**And she looks at me with her eyes like planets in a solar flare**

**She gets dressed, she looks her best with her hair like, everywhere**

As he sings, you notice that he’s looking straight at you. You’re looking straight back, mouthing the lyrics gently to yourself as he sings. He looks amused, but a few people you can tell not so much.

**(Stretch) And it comes to me** **In a moment of clarity**

**She’s a god**

**She’s a freak like Madonna**

**She’s a god** **Carry me to nirvana**

 **She's a god** **Gimme peace, gimme dharma**

**She's the one**

**Swear to God, she's the one**

**She's a god**

Stretch repeats the chorus, swaying a bit now to the beat, and you’re doing the same. You look around a bit. Everyone is completely unamused except for you, Blue, Sans, Papyrus, and Stretch himself. You are having the time of your life already, so damn the party poopers. You see Red take a drink of something and hand it to Mutt.

**(Stretch) She's a god**

**And she walks amongst us on her way to work**

**I'm her chosen one**

**She's my deity**

**And she's saving me**

**She's a god**

**She's a freak like Madonna**

**She's a god**

Stretch repeats the chorus again. By this time, you can’t help but hum everything from now on, but who can blame you? This is a damn good song.

**(Stretch) 'Cause I’m blinded by my faith for my babe**

**'Cause she's the reason**

**The reason I say, "I've seen the light burst into colour"**

**She is the sun**

**She is the thunder**

The song plays out, and you clap a little. Stretch looks absolutely fucking enamored now, A soft copper blush on his cheeks.

“I. Fucking. Love that song.” You sigh, leaning back into your seat.

“WELL IT COULDN’T HAVE BEEN GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SOIL YOUR LOOKS BY CURSING.” Black sighs, and you grin.

“don’ gi'e'r too much si’e eye, m’lord, she’s jus’ exci’ed.” Mutt winks over to you, and you roll your eyes.

“The only thing I heard from that sentence is the implication that _somebody_ thinks I’m pretty.” You look over to Black, wiggling in your seat a bit playfully, Black looking away with a huff.

“alright, move over, sucker, i’m next.” Sans pushes himself up, Stretch handing him the microphone. Stretch approaches you as Sans picks out his song.

“glad you liked it, honey bee. way more where that came from.” He pulls a sucker out from his pocket, popping it into his mouth as he sits. The next song begins to play. You open your mouth a little, unable to help but laugh when it [does](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2AqGffHuZI).

**(Sans) Uh-huh, this my shit** **All the girls stomp your feet like this**

**A few times I've been around that track**

**So it's not just gonna happen like that**

**'Cause I ain't no Hollaback Girl**

**I ain't no Hollaback Girl**

**A few times I've been around that track**

**So it's not just gonna happen like that**

**'Cause I ain't no Hollaback Girl**

**I ain't no Hollaback Girl**

Sans taps a slippered foot to the beat. Oh my stars, he is absolutely ridiculous. You tap your foot as well, shaking your head as Sans sings with an amused grin.

**(Sans) I heard that you were talking shit**

**And you didn't think that I would hear i**

**People hear you talking like that**

**Getting everybody fired up**

As Sans sings through the song, everybody get slowly annoyed, knowing Sans would choose a song like this. However, with his voice, it sounds a lot better than you expected. You’ve never heard him sing in the time you knew him, so this was a total surprise to you. Oh, oh, the best part is coming up!

**(Sans) Let me hear you say, this shit is bananas**

**B-A-N-A-N-A-S**

**This shit is bananas**

**B-A-N-A-N-A-S**

**Again, the shit is bananas**

**B-A-N-A-N-A-S**

**This shit is bananas**

**B-A-N-A-N-A-S**

You sing along silently, moving your body and hands to the beat. You are officially pulled in by the catchiness of this classic. Sans continues with the rest, and you clap again.

“Amazing song choice, Sans. I have to say that that is the least lazy thing I’ve ever seen you do.” You nod.

“heh, don’t sweat it, princess. i only heard you singing in the shower once or twice and i thought it’d be some sweet nostalgia.” He teases, your jaw dropping a little.

“You little creep! I don’t even sing that loud!”

“you sing all the time, honey.” Stretch hums, and you whip your head to him with an accusing glare.

“I’M AFRAID HE’S RIGHT, YOU’VE INFECTED THIS HOUSE WITH YOUR PTERODACTYL SCREECHING.” Edge crosses his arms across his battle body, standing proudly instead of sitting like the rest of them. He has a bottle in his hand of some kind of monster alcohol.

“a’righ’, move, assholes, ‘m nex’.” Red moves over to the machine, snatching the mic from Sans, who holds his hands up innocently and he returns next to Papyrus. He scrolls through the songs, smirking to himself, his golden tooth showing off. The song playing through the speakers. Oh shit, Stretch, you’ve officially met your match, and Red fucking knows [it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_9Muqi0R_8).

**(Red) Hey girl, I'm in love with you**

**But the world doesn't want me to**

**I'm not well, I am sick**

**The best kind of sick that one can get**

**So you can't believe a word they say**

**About the person I am today**

**If all else fails, just think instead**

**At least you know I'm good in bed**

Red, of course, emphasizes the line about sex of all things, making you shake your head with an amused smile. The little fucker.

**(Red) So trace the lines of my tattoos**

**Whisper that you love me too**

**We might as well, no matter what**

**They think I suck, but I don't give a f-**

**So don't hold your breath for me**

**But watching you turn blue would be comforting**

**I told you once, I'll tell you twice**

**I'll give you bad advice because**

**I'm bad at life, I'm bad at life**

You have to give Red credit, his voice is lower and more I-eat-rocks-for-breakfast than anyone else, and he gives good stage presence. You assume that every boy will be staring at you when they sing, because they have so far. Dick measuring contest it is, then. He sings through the next verse and following chorus flawlessly, even playing air guitar for the little instrumental before the bridge.

**(Red) All your friends will tell you I’m wrong.**

**But all your friends sing this song**

**All your friends tell you I’m wrong**

**But all your friends sing this song, song**

**But I don’t give a fuck!**

Red sings through the last chorus with the most volume you’ve ever heard him at, and that’s even challenging Papyrus level volume. He looks at you after the final kissing noise of the song, leaving you absolutely entertained and confused.

“magic, _kotenok_ , who th’ fuck’s nex’?” Red leaves the microphone on the speaker. Blue hops up, quickly taking the next slot.

“You people are little creeps. Do you guys have to listen in every time I’m singing?” You’re still wide-mouthed with confusion and realization, connecting the dots slowly. Blue quickly moves on to the next song, and you’re left to your own devices. Again, another song you know by heart and [love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExrfAHl1KkE).

**(Blue)** **I'm thinking baby you and I are undeniable**

**But I'm findin' out love's unreliable**

**I'm giving all I got to make you stay**

**Or am I just a roadblock in your way?**

**'Cause you're a pretty little windstorm**

**Out on the boulevard**

**Something like a sunset**

**Oh, you're a shooting star**

**And I might drive myself insane**

**If those lips aren't speaking my name**

**'Cause I've got some intuition or maybe I'm superstitious**

**But I think you're a pretty sweet pill that I'm swallowing down**

**To counter this addiction**

**You got me on a mission**

**Tell me darling can I get a break some-**

**How could I say no?**

Blue is absolutely fabulous. He’s high energy with Red’s stage presence and the surprise of a wonderful singing voice. Your body, Blue, and Stretch’s are all swaying and dancing subtly to the beat.

**(Blue) She's got a love like woe!**

**Girl's got a love like woe!**

**I kinda feel like it don't make sense**

**'Cause you're bringing me in and now you're kicking me out again**

**Love so strong, then you moved on**

**Now I'm hung up in suspense**

**Because you're bringing me in and then you're kicking me out again**

Blue continues with the song. He’s fucking adorable, and you’re falling even further into his looks-like-a-kid-but-is-actually-a-fully-grown-adult-and-fill-fight-you-at-any-given-moment schtick. It’s it’s an interesting feat.

**(Blue) 'Cause we only have one life**

**The timing and the moment all seem so right**

**So would you say you're mine?**

**Would you say you're mine?**

Blue finishes the song, and you and Stretch clap, you especially.

“Again, stalker much?” You raise an eyebrow. Blue pouts, his star-shaped eyelights twinkling.

“MWEH?! D-DID YOU NOT LIKE IT?! I CAN’T HELP IT, YOUR SINGING VOICE IS BEAUTIFUL!” He sets the mic down, approaching. You shake your head.

“No, it was great! And thanks, I guess.” You can’t help but feel the heat in your cheeks, and Blue’s grin returns.

“MWEH HEH HEH! THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE STRIKES AGAIN! I’M GLAD YOU ENJOYED, MAIDEN!” He places his hands on his hips, returning his rightful place next to you. Papyrus approaches you.

“WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME FOR A DUET, MY DEAR? IT IS A FAIRLY SIMPLE SONG, I ASSURE YOU, QUITE CATCHY!” He nods.

“Sure, why not.” You shrug, standing.

“wai’, y’didn’ say tha-” Red gets rudely interrupted, again, and you can see Red's obvious frustration.

“YOU DIDN’T SAY WE COULD DO DUETS!” Blue pouts again. You reach down to pat his head.

“We can do a duet later if you want.” You reassure him. He grumbles a little.

“OKAY, IF YOU SAY SO!” He nods. You smile.

“Coolio.” You turn, going to go get another microphone where you know they’re stored, dragging out another speaker, plugging the microphone in. Papyrus brings you over to the laptop to review the song.

“DO YOU KNOW THE LYRICS? YOU CAN READ THE SCREEN IF YOU WISH!” He turns back to you. You shake your head.

“Nope, I’m good. Catchy song, I’m okay.” You give him a thumbs up. He grins, playing the [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7HmzwI67ec).

**(Papyrus) Woke up on the right side of the bed**

**What's up with this Prince song inside my head?**

**Hands up, if you're down to get down tonight**

' **Cause it's always a good time**

**Slept in all my clothes, like I didn't care**

**Hopped into a cab, take me anywhere**

**I'm in if you're down to get down tonight**

**'Cause it's always a good time**

**(You) Good morning and goodnight** **I wake up at twilight**

**(You and Papyrus) It's gonna be alright**

**(Papyrus) We don't even have to try, it's always a good time**

Everyone’s looking at you, giving you encouraging or neutral (aka Mutt, he’s almost unreadable most of the time) gazes, but jealousy is the prominent emotion here. You don’t care, though, giving Papyrus a smile before the chorus.

**(You and Papyrus) Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh**

**Whoa-oh-oh-oh**

**It's always a good time**

**Whoa-oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh**

**We don't even have to try, it's always a good time**

**(You) Freaked out, dropped my phone in the pool again**

**Checked out of my room, hit the ATM**

**Let's hang out, if you're down to get down tonight**

**'Cause it's always a good time**

You and Papyrus sing the rest of the song with passion and flourish, passing each other gazes, seeing the one with alcohol in their hands slowly go down as you sing. The song comes to an end soon enough, and you reach over to Papyrus to give him a hug.

“That was amazing, Papyrus, I loved singing with you. You sounded totally cool.” You cheered with an encouraging grin.

“gotta agree with her, bro, you looked super cool up there.” Sans adds, and you nod in agreement. Papyrus’ cheekbones light up a bright orange.

“N-NYEH! DO YOU REALLY THINK SO? WOWIE, MY DEAR AND MY BROTHER BOTH LOVE MY SINGING! I MEAN, WHO WOULDN’T, I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AFTER ALL!” Papyrus holds a fist to his chest. You giggle, Papyrus and you taking your seats. To your surprise, Mutt stands.

“’righ’, move over, my turn.” Mutt walks over to the speaker, typing into the laptop.

“BE SURE NOT TO EMBARRASS YOURSELF, DOG.” Black calls out, a glass of wine in his hand now you didn’t notice before.

“Don’t be so discouraging! You’ll do great, Mutt.” You look back to Mutt.

“mmm, thanks, _schatz_.” A periwinkle eyelight flicks up to you and down towards the laptop. You giggle, Black rolling his eyelights. The song picks up, a mellow beat playing out of the [speaker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApXoWvfEYVU).

**(Mutt) Needless to say, I keep in check**

**She was a bad-bad, nevertheless**

**Callin' it quits now, baby, I'm a wreck**

**Crash at my place, baby, you're a wreck**

Oh wow. Oh wow. If you weren’t attracted before, you are now. Oh stars. Oh angel. Oh fuck. Despite his smoker-esque voice, it’s clear as day when he sings into the mic. You are almost in a trance from his voice, whether it be help from the alcohol or just him. Hey, he wasn’t ugly.

**(Mutt) Ooh-ooh, some things you just can't refuse**

**She wanna ride me like a cruise and I'm not tryna lose**

**Then you're left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya**

**You're a sunflower, I think your love would be too much**

**Or you'll be left in the dust, unless I stuck by ya**

**You're the sunflower, you're the sunflower**

**Every time I'm leavin' on ya**

**You don't make it easy, no**

**Wish I could be there for ya**

**Give me a reason to, oh**

**Every time I'm walkin' out**

**I can hear you tellin' me to turn around**

**Fightin' for my trust and you won't back down**

**Even if we gotta risk it all right now, oh**

**I know you're scared of the unknown**

**You don't wanna be alone**

**I know I always come and go**

**But it's out of my control**

As Mutt raps and sings, you’re taken back to all the times Mutt always sticks to you during work and classes. Checking you out while you were singing that first night last week. Helping you out with being up to Black’s standards, giving you small reminders of things you forgot and just generally being content with his company. Of course, he wasn’t around all the time, loyally by his brother’s side, but you respected that. He repeats the chorus, and the song eventually comes to an end.

“That was amazing, Mutt. You should totally sing more.” You’re still slightly distracted, as Mutt puts the microphone in front of him towards you.

“your turn, _schatz_.” He grins, pulling a dog treat out of his pocket with his free hand, sticking it between his sharp teeth. You raise an eyebrow, Mutt waving the mic around a bit.

“OOH! YES! PLEASE, MY DEAR, YOU SHOULD GO NEXT! I’M SURE WHATEVER SONG YOU’LL PICK WILL BE JUST AS GOOD AS THE PREVIOUS ONES!” Papyrus leans over to look at you, his gloved hands pressed together.

“chickenin’ ou’, kitten?” Red chuckles, taking a sip from his bottle, hic-ing slightly. Your face sours.

“Uh, Hell no, give me that thing, I’ll blow all of you all the way to the fucking moon.” You stand, approaching Mutt and taking the mic, his boney fingers lingering on yours a second more than you expected, making your chest warm, Mutt walking past you to his seat.

“LANGUAGE!” Papyrus, Blue, and Black call out in unison, making you laugh a little.

“OH SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU BASTARDS. SING ALREADY!” Edge shouts out to you, which makes Black and Edge argue between each other that you don’t pay attention to, quickly typing in your song idea. You turn the speaker up a notch or two louder to play overtop of the boys’ bickering, clicking the play button at the strumming of a guitar fills the empty space, quickly silencing [them](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1P0VSHthVw).

**(You) So much on my mind, I think I think too much**

**Read between these lines, unspoken weight of words**

**But time comes to rest when you are by my side, it blurs**

**And I will follow where this takes me**

**And my tomorrows long to be unknown**

**When all is shaken, be my safety**

**In a world uncertain, say you'll be my stone**

And silencing them it did. As you sing along through the next verse, the boys turned from their argument, eyelights and sockets fixed on you as you take a seat gently on a crate you find nearby, placing it gently and relaxing as you sit and sing to the skeletons, them fixated on your form now. You feel a bit shy now, but continue.

**(You) And I will follow where this takes me**

**And my tomorrows long to be unknown**

**When all is shaken, be my safety** **In a world uncertain, say you'll be my stone**

_**(Oooooooh oooh oooh)** _

**Be my stone**

_**(Oooooooh oooh)** _

**In a world uncertain, say you'll be my stone**

As you sing, you look across the line of skeletons. They are literally completely still, even the more excitable ones, who are sitting and being more attentive like their lives depend on it. You close y our eyes, elbows resting on your knees, one hand relaxed in front of you, and the other holding the microphone up to your mouth to pick up your voice.

**(You) Oh steady me, be my source of gravity**

**While my world's unraveling**

**Say you'll never change, ooooohhhh!!! Oh!**

You project your voice, uncaring of who hears. You’re into it now, eyes still closed, you don’t recognize a light filling the room, the world’s sounds draining themselves out, leaving only you and the music.

Knowing people who are about you so much even knowing you for such little time, standing by your side and being so protective of you. Going out of their ways to make sure you’re okay and trying to include you in everything they do. It fills your chest with warmth, and your SOUL with HOPE and LOVE.

**(You) And I will follow where this takes me**

**And my tomorrows long to be unknown**

**When all is shaken, be my safety**

**In a world uncertain, say you'll be my stone**

_**(Oooooooh oooh oooh)** _

**Be my stone**

_**(Oooooooh oooh)** _

**In a world uncertain, say you'll be my stone**

You sigh as the song ends, finally coming back to. Your eyes blink open, a pastel olive colored heart floating in front of you, spinning and bobbing around slowly. You look around, your eyes darting as all of the skeletons, except Sans, are turned away, some of them sweating . You raise an eyebrow.

“What… Sans, what in the all-that-is-holy angel is going on?” You turn your head to him. He has blue sweat drops drooling down his forehead.

“eheh.. how about we get that back where it belongs.” Sans carefully lifts a hand, wafting gently towards the heart, encouraging and eventually sending it back to your sternum, where it disappears and the once empty feeling now being filled. The light from before is gone now, the normal yellowish light from the lightbulb returning. “alright guys, it’s gone, you can turn back around now.” He nods to himself. They all let out collective sighs and mutters of words from relief, turning back around. They all look.. Amazed? Surprised? Embarrassed? Grateful? “how about we discuss this inside, yeah? had enough time out here, cold anyway.” Sans puts his hand on your back, but you quickly yet gently brush it away, sidestepping.

“I can go in by myself just fine, thanks.” You nod, stepping past everyone as they watch you walk out of the garage and back to the garage.

“y’sure tha’s ya soul bond?” Red chuckles, taking a sip from his bottle.

“got ya wrapped ‘roun’ ‘er pre’y lil’ fing-” Before Mutt could finish, Edge groans.

“WOULD YOU QUIT YOUR USELESS BICKERING? YOU HAD LET MY SIREN ALONE IN THE HOUSE, NO ONE HAD GONE IN YET EXCEPT FOR THAT USELESS ASS SWAP ME AND HIS BROTHER.” Edge squinted his sockets, rubbing his nose ridge. Well that’s new. He storms in, Red trailing behind, sticking his red glowing tongue out to tease the others. Sans sighs, everyone slowly filing into the house one by one. Sans is jolted out of his rut with a hard smack on the back, a familiar scent of dog treats filling his nose.

“well, we ge’ why ya love ‘er now. don’ le’ somethin’ like this go, ‘r you’re a stars ‘n’ angel-damn fool.” Mutt rumbles next to him, shortcutting behind his brother before he can call him to follow, joining him towards the lodge.

“SANS, MAY I SPEAK TO YOU FOR A MOMENT?” Papyrus steps up to him. He nods once.

“sure. what’s up?”

“WELL, IT’S ABOUT Y/N. OF COURSE. WE KNOW WHAT JUST HAPPENED. THERE IS NO DENYING THIS, THIS CANNOT GO ANY FURTHER. SHE DESERVES TO KNOW. ABOUT EVERYTHING, NOT JUST THE SOULBOND. ABOUT EVERYONE ELSE, TOO, AND EVERYONE CAN TELL THAT SHE ALREADY KNOWS A LITTLE, TOO. I KNOW OUR MORE CARELESS COUNTERPARTS WOULD HAVE SLIPPED SOMETHING BY NOW.” Papyrus looks down at his brother with his long sockets, face neutral with seriousness. Papyrus was rarely like this. “I Worry About You, Sans. I See How Much Physical And Emotional Pain You Put Yourself Through Because Of Your Denial, But Now Other People Feel The Same Because Of This Bond You’ve Neglected. Please, Take Care Of This.” Papyrus stands at full height now, Sans’ eyelights following him. Sans bobs his head in a small nod. “RIGHT! NOW, WE MUST GO INSIDE AND GIVE HER THE ANSWERS SHE RIGHTFULLY DESERVES! NYEH HEH HEH!!!” Papyrus turns, jogging over to the Lodge. Sans stands there for a moment, taking a deep breath in and out to himself.

“yeah, you’re right, paps. i’m just trying to keep up that lazybones shit, you know? like that’s fucking working. heheh.”

✋︎❄︎🕯︎💧︎ 🏱︎✌︎💧︎❄︎ ❄︎✋︎💣︎☜︎ ❄︎⚐︎ 💣︎✌︎☠︎ 🕆︎🏱︎ ☠︎⚐︎🕈︎📪︎ 💧︎✌︎☠︎💧︎📬︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ 💧︎☟︎⚐︎🕆︎☹︎👎︎ ☟︎✌︎✞︎☜︎ 👎︎⚐︎☠︎☜︎ ❄︎☟︎✋︎💧︎ ✡︎☜︎✌︎☼︎💧︎ ✌︎☝︎⚐︎📬︎ ☠︎⚐︎🕈︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ ⚐︎☠︎☜︎ ❄︎☟︎✋︎☠︎☝︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎🕯︎✞︎☜︎ 👌︎☜︎☜︎☠︎ ❄︎☼︎✡︎✋︎☠︎☝︎ ❄︎⚐︎ 👎︎⚐︎ ☼︎✋︎☝︎☟︎❄︎📪︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ ☟︎✌︎✞︎☜︎ ✌︎☹︎🕈︎✌︎✡︎💧︎ 👎︎⚐︎☠︎☜︎ 👍︎⚐︎💣︎🏱︎☹︎☜︎❄︎☜︎☹︎✡︎ 🕈︎☼︎⚐︎☠︎☝︎📬︎

✋︎ 🕈︎✋︎☹︎☹︎ 💧︎☜︎☜︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ 💧︎⚐︎⚐︎☠︎📪︎ 💧︎⚐︎☠︎📬︎

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more shenanigans coming soon! sorry i'm dragging on this first week of her stay so long, y'all will get a timeskip soon to get on with it already. i promise. i promise y'all. y'all know i feed you good. don't be mad at me. don't look at me like that. sorry for using so many songs, i've been deprived and i need them.
> 
> songs used in this chapter:
> 
> telepatia by Kali Uchis  
> She's A God by Neck Deep  
> Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani  
> I'm Bad At Life by Falling In Reverse  
> Love Like Woe by The Ready Set  
> Good Time by Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepsen  
> Sunflower by Post Malone ft. Swae Lee  
> Stone by Alessia Cara
> 
> thanks for dealing with my bullshit, updates when i can! :3


	10. Question: What Do Skeletons Transported From Alternate Universes and a Shared Soulbond With One Human Have In Common?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Answer: One confused and pissed off bondmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all THANK YOU FOR 2K HITS YAAAAAAYYYY would y'all wanna do something special for that??? qna???????? idk. anyway this chapter is. angst. mostly. i left y'all on a high note earlier. i know. i promise we're back to our regularly scheduled program.
> 
> enjoy the new chapter!

Everyone is sat in the living room now, alcohol away, you sitting on the lounge chair across from the couch where all of the skeletons sit. Each of them next to their brothers, about a foot apart in between each of them. The mixed feelings are still there, and now a few look smug. Sans just looks… stressed.

“So. Sans. Would you like to share with the class what the Hell was that?” Your eyes stick to him. Blue sweat appears on his skull.

“o-okay, uh, heh. so, you know that’s your soul, yeah, okay. well-”

“ya soul ‘fessed, kitten. ya did somethin’ passiona’e, you were thinkin’ ‘bout ya poin’a int’res’, and ya soul did the res’.” Red quickly interrupted. You couldn’t help but mentally grin at taking back his thunder from being interrupted twice tonight. Overall you’re just confused.

“So… wow, but that’s..” You look down to your lap, folding your hands on top of it. This is so fast. You’ve only known them a week. Is it possible? There has to be something more going on here.

“and that’s where things get sticky. i…” Sans sighs, running a hand over his skull. “i might have not been so truthful with my feelings around you. i like you, a whole hell of a lot, y/n. i’ve liked you for years, so much so that my soul did the work for me subconsciously and began a small soul bond with you. nothing to be too serious between _us_ , but it looks like my other..” Oh boy. There _is_ more going on here.

“d’y’know wha’ th’ multiverse theory is?” Mutt speaks quietly to you. He’s being a lot more careful than the other two.

“The theory that there are multiple universes that consists of everything that exists and the constants that describe them? I’ve heard.” You cross your arms. Looks like everyone’s getting nervous now, but you’re just disappointed.

“that’s a start. well, it’s less of theory and more of fact. you’re smart.” Stretch lets his hands drift apart as if to gesture all of them. “you’re looking at the ‘theory’ right here.” He’s looking straight at you. You sigh. You saw this coming. You just wanted to be respectable. They know you’re not an idiot, at least you hope not. You look to the floor.

“Sans.”

“y-yeah?”

“I’m disappointed in you.”

“wha? why?”

“Because you treated me like some idiot. I saw this coming. When I heard C call Dust ‘Dusty Sans’, it told me everything.” Your eyes flick up to the skeletons. They’re all cringing. Your eyes look back to the floor so you can focus. “First, the looks were weird, but I know genetics can make us look exactly like our family, almost like clones. Then, I could tell patterns. Like how Stretch _looks_ like Papyrus, but acts exactly like you, right down to the puns, the attire, the mannerisms. And how Black looks like _you_ , but speaks like Papyrus, was in the Royal Guard that Papyrus was absolutely obsessed with getting in to, and even wears his _own_ battle body.” You’re looking completely up to him now. “I’m gonna need a while to think about this. I won’t tell you where I’m going, and if I find any evidence of you following me until I get back, I won’t be happy. _Any_ of you. Sans, I like you, too. A lot. For a while, I can admit that. But I’m really fucking _pissed_ that you didn’t trust me enough with this earlier. You saw me at my lowest of lows, highest of highs, and even stuck with me through my shitty ass relationship and put up with my bullshit all these years. I’m packing my shit, right now, and I’m leaving. I already know where I’m going, so leave me be. I’ll text, if I feel like it. I’m coming back, but I need some time.” You look up to them. “I know four of you don’t do promises, if my ‘theory’,” You hold up air quotes with your fingers. “, is correct, but I know the others can keep one. Promise me to keep your brothers in line while I’m gone. This is no one’s fault. I’ll hand out the fault accordingly, because I’m sure as Hell it’s none of mine. Please try to get along with each other, and if I found out things went to shit I’ll get even _more_ pissed that you can’t do something as simple as getting along with each other when I ask. I know not a lot of you do, naturally, but please be patient with each other. Thanks.”

“ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE, MAIDEN. TAKE YOUR TIME. I PROMISE YOU I CAN KEEP MY BROTHER IN LINE.” Blue’s eyelights twinkle. Stretch is sweating.

“IT’S AN EASY TASK TO MAKE MY USELESS BROTHER BEHAVE. DON’T YOU WORRY ABOUT _THAT_.” Edge crosses his arms, looking down to his brother. Red’s sweating, too.

“WILL DO, PET. JUST MAKE SURE YOU BEHAVE AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, AND I WILL MAKE SURE MUTT ISN’T SNOOPING.” Black stiffly nods, looking prideful. Mutt’s caving in on himself. 

“I WILL. JUST KNOW WE CARE ABOUT YOU, MY DEAR. I ONLY ASK PLEASE DO NOT BE GONE TOO LONG, I CAN’T PROMISE THAT WE WON’T WORRY.” Papyrus grins to you lovingly. Sans is sweating the most. He looks the most stressed out of all of them.

“low blow usin’ our brothers- ow!” Red stopped speaking and rubbed the back of his skull as Edge slaps the back of it.

“I’m not _using_ anyone, they could have not promised at all. I just know Sans doesn’t do a whole lot of promises legitimately, and that leads me to conclude that Stretch, Red, and Mutt don’t do well, either, so I know they’ll try something while I’m gone. I know you listen to your brothers, even more than me. Trust me, I know how much you care, but you are _brothers_. Family is a sort of trust that’s different than I could ever give you, and _you_ could ever give _me_. I’m not angry with you about something like that. Also, don’t overdo it on the condiments, you four. I know what vinegar is to you, I’m not stupid. If you drink, don’t drink yourself crazy, if you smoke, don’t smoke yourself crazy. I’ll be seeing myself, now. Blue, can you help me pack?” You look to him, and his eyelights are shining impossibly brighter. Everyone else looks a bit disappointed that you didn’t pick them instead, the Sans personalities (as weird as that sounds) looking more so.

“OF COURSE MY FAIR MAIDEN! ANYTHING!” He stands, bounding over to you and holding out a hand. You gladly take it. You nod to the rest of them.

“I’ll come back down to say my goodbyes. And no fighting while I pack, please, at least do me that much.” You stand, going up to your room to bag your belongings, taking out your phone and texting a few people you know will be more than happy to help you out.

\--

After saying your goodbyes, giving hugs when offered, you readjust your bag on your shoulder.

“I DON’T MEAN TO PRY, BUT ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LEAVE? IT WAS IN SHAMBLES EVEN WHEN YOU WERE GONE FOR A FEW HOURS!” Blue speaks to you as you strap your bag to your motorbike, having a storage box in the back that’s thankfully big enough and sturdy enough to carry it. You’ll have to have Dust ‘port your things to your place of stay. “HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU’LL BE GONE?”

“About a week, maybe a week and a half. I just need time to think and calm down. I can only have so much self control before I snap, you know? Also, it’s been a busy week.” You nod, sliding your helmet on. Blue looks apprehensive.

“JUST STAY SAFE. YOU REMEMBER WHERE YOU ARE GOING, YES? I BELIEVE MY DIRECTIONS WERE SUFFICIENT ENOUGH. I KNOW THE LAST TIME YOU WERE THERE, THEY WEREN’T VERY HAPPY, AND IF ANYONE FINDS OUT THEY’LL ASSUME!” Blue looks up to you with a small pout.

“And that’s where you and Papyrus come in. I know you two have a lot more self control than anyone in this house, even Edge, Black, or even me. Just make sure no one tries to go looking for me, or tries picking a fight with any of the non-Lodge residents. I’ll be back before you know it, Sans.” You grin. His entire skull is a baby blue now.

“Y-You Don’t Have To Call Me That, If You Don’t Wish…” His gaze has turned a bit shyer now, trying to control his magic. You shake your head with a wide smile. 

“It’s fine. I know after a while that nickname can get kinda tiring after a while. Right? I mean, I’d feel really inhumane if alternate versions of myself called me that for however long you’ve been here.” And that’s another question. “How.. how _did_ you get here anyway? Do you know?”

“OH. WELL, THE SIMPLE OF IT IS, MY BROTHER AND CLASSIC HAVE THE SAME TIME MACHINE THAT CAN ADJUST AND FIX THE MATTER BETWEEN TIME AND SPACE-”

“The Void?”

“AH, YES, THAT’S WHAT PAPY CALLED IT!” Oh stars, _Papy_. Can he get any cuter? “ANYWAY, THEY WERE WORKING ON THESE TIME MACHINES THAT COULD FIX THE VOID! CLASSIC HAPPENS TO BE WORKING ON A SPECIAL PROJECT THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE VOID, AND IT SOMEHOW CRASHED AND MALFUNCTIONED, AND THEN WE APPEARED! IT TOOK A WHILE TO GET ADJUSTED TO THIS WORLD, LIKE HOW PAPY FREAKED OUT WHEN HE FOUND OUT FRISK WAS THE ONE TO OPEN THE BARRIER AND BECOME THE MONSTER AMBASSADOR! I’M STILL NOT SURE WHY.” He shrugs.

“I guess we’ll figure it out one day.” You sigh. You reach down, wrapping Blue in a hug. He squeaks a bit when you do, but happily hugs you back. “Thank you for everything, Sans. I mean it. I’m sorry you have to put up with all my baggage.” You hug for a moment more, before slowly releasing each other. You smirk, getting an idea. You lean down, pressing a kiss to his cheek, that’s still flushed with magic, but your kiss doesn’t help. You stand back up straight.

“W-WOWIE…” Blue mutters. You giggle silently, smile still on your face.

“Take that as an act of forgiveness.”

“MWEH! YOU A-ARE ALREADY FORGIVEN, MAIDEN!!! _I_ APOLOGIZE FOR NOT TELLING YOU ANY OF THIS SOONER, BUT YOU KNOW THAT A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES!” He puffs his chest out proudly. This makes you laugh, shoulders shaking with amusement. “Do You… Mind If I Return The Favor? Completely Platonic, I Assure You! That Kiss Was My First, And I Feel I Should At Least Do Something For You.” His grin and pride are still there, thankfully. You nod.

“Sure.” You lean down, letting his teeth press to your soft cheek, giving you a skeleton kiss, a small jolt of magic zapping your skin. It feels more like a buzz than an electric shock, if anything, even for a second. You stand back up straight after.

“BE SAFE, MY FAIR MAIDEN! I SHALL BE AWAITING YOUR RE-ARRIVAL!” Blue places his hands onto his hips. “YOU TAKE ALL OF THE TIME OF YOUR NEED, AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, OKAY? MAIDENS DESERVE ONLY THE BEST!” His grins grows wider, and you nod affirmingly, giving a playful salute.

“Yes, sir.” You swing your leg over your motorbike, pulling your keys out. You kick out the kickstand, standing your bike up as you start up the engine, the engine roaring through the spacious garage. “I’ll see you later, okay? Don’t miss me too much!” You look to Blue, who nods. “Bye!”

“GOODBYE, MAIDEN!” He calls to you one last time, before you press onward on the bike to your destination.

The wind feels nice on your skin. The night sky is clear and you can see the full moon, stars twinkling in place. No clouds are in the sky, and the air is warm enough to not feel cold as you fly down the man made path to the cabin in the distance. Thank the angel that the bike turns the walking distance into a mere short ride. The trees and shrubbery get thicker as you ride down, and now you see why they chose to live in the place they did. You pull up the the front door, where the large skeleton you contacted earlier waits on the front porch.

“nice ta see ya pretty face again, sparks!” Dusty calls out to you with a grin, his multicolored eyelights staring at you. You lean the bike over, leaning it on the kickstand as you turn off the engine. You pull your helmet off, shaking your head to get your hair in order. You hear a wolf whistle, and you raise an eyebrow, seeing Axe looking around the corner with a smirk.

“Axe! Stars, you two can’t seem to control yourselves, huh? I thought I would have had _some_ influence on you.” You tease, approaching the boys who stand next to each other now.

“so, you need our help, huh?” Dust raises a brow bone. You nod.

“Yeah. I know about the whole ‘you come from a different universe’ thing and that Sans likes me and therefore pulls you two in to a soul bond that Sans hasn’t addressed yet. We were having a karaoke night thing and then suddenly my soul came out as a proclamation of love to my love interest, which at the time I was thinking of all of you, so I have no idea what that’s all about, and I feel stupid for not asking or realizing earlier and this week has been insane and I need a break from it all, so I’m going to my old housing and staying there for a while.” You sigh, almost out of breath from your ramble. Dusty looks amused.

“well, nice t’know ‘nilla’s totally taking things seriously. ‘n’ don’t worry about th’ bond, we like you mighty fine enough, so that’s not a problem with us. ain’t that right, axey-boy?” Dusty smirks over to Axe. Axe nods once. You roll your eyes with a small grin.

“Alright, alright, I just need help ‘porting stuff from my room, please, which i don’t doubt you’ve been in already, to my old house, because I’ll be gone for at least a week. Think you two are strong enough? I’m sure you two don’t care if you’re seen, but you shouldn’t be unless someone is already in my room going through my things. However, if someone sees you, I’m positive you don’t care- why are you staring at me like that?” You see them both smirking in the midst of your rambling. Do you do that all the time? Dusty lets out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

“no, no, please, go on. we’re listenin’, you’re cute when you talk.” Dust’s eyelights are shining bright, wide as dinnerplates. Axe is the same, leaning against the wood of the cabin and watching you all the same in silence, nodding to you. You rub your temples with your hand.

“Okay, well, I don’t know if you’ve actually been in my old house yet, but Axe has. Can you help me out?” You look to Axe.

“... sure.” Axe disappears for the time being, leaving you with Dust.

“So why are you two up so late? You two been waiting for me to call? Are your bones rattling with anticipation every day?” You tease. Suddenly, he’s in front of you, his hand on your bike so he can pin you. He absolutely dwarfs you, of course, his shadow blocking out the moon and stars above. His grin is wide, and his bright eyelights are the only source of light. You can’t help but feel a blush rise to your cheeks. His head tilts to the side, it’s something he seems to do a lot.

“hmm, yer right, papy, she really _is_ beautiful when she’s scared.” His deep chuckle almost vibrates the air, your body not sure whether it wants to shrink back or give in. He was speaking to himself, you think. It was rather weird that Dust didn’t have his brother here. “sure, sparky, if that’s what helps that pretty little soul of yours lit up like that,” He presses a phalange to your upper chest right between your collarbones. “, i can’t help but think ‘bout ya.” He stands there, keeping you pinned for a moment. You can feel the air tense with magic, the strong scent of rust and rotting meat filling the air, you clear your throat a little, Dust rolling his eyelights, letting you go as you finally relax. “lax up, axey-boy, wasn’t doin’ nothin’. you did the stuff?” He saunters back up to the porch. Axe looks a bit bothered. Jealous, maybe?

“Actually, I have one last thing, if you wouldn’t mind. I know certain boys at the Lodge only have so much control. I want this week to be one-hundred-percent perfect. Axe, since I know you probably know my routes well, can you make sure no skeleton is following me in secret? I’ll text you my schedule this week. I know at least one of them will try it, and I told them specifically no following me.” I look up to him. Axe looks ecstatic.

“anything… for… you, bunny.” He nods. Dust pouts to you dramatically.

“aw, sparks, do ya not trust me anymore? i’m a very gentleman-ly skeleton, i can assure you.” Dust holds his hands out, and you roll your eyes.

“No, I trust you, you did say that your door was open when Sans and Co got too much, and you fulfilled your offer.” You smile up to him. Dust shrugs.

“like i said. ‘m a gentleman, so’s axey.” He prods an elbow to him. Axe nods once affirmingly.

“Okay. Well, I’m off now. Sorry for texting you so late, thanks so much for moving my stuff, Axe, and for letting me come over and ask, Dust. I’ll see you two soon?” Your eyes drift to the two of them. They look at each other, silently communicating, and look back to you.

“enjoy your semi-cation, sparky.”

\--

And watch he did. While out at your old living situation with Marceline for the time being, you could see one single red light intermittently throughout the week, whether it be at work, at school, or just going out. Axe wanted to make sure you knew he was there to fulfill his side of whatever deal he made, texting him and letting him know that you have a plan to make it up to him for all this stuff he’s currently doing and did for you. He reassured you, once, that he was fine with doing it, but you couldn’t help but feel bad.

“He said he _likes you_? That’s great, Y/N, h-how do you feel?” Marceline leans forward while you sit in the garage, guitars in hand, scraps of paper on the floor as you lean back into the black beanbag you’re sitting on. She’s sat on her own pastel pink one, arms laid across it as you spoke. You’re writing things down and erasing them as you talk. She suggested what you always do doing these trying and tribulating times, write out your feelings. And it’s working, thank the angel. You’ve slowly realized that she’s been a better friend in five days than Jackie ever has in three years. You feel bad for not getting closer to her.

“Confused? Overwhelmed. Turns out they all kinda like me like that. Genuinely. I mean, it’s not that they’re bad. They help me out, they worry about me, they make sure I’ve taken my medication, that I take care of myself. I’ve felt more love from them than I have anyone else in a while. It’s been really nice, but Sans having a crush on me for, like, three or four years and never telling me? And, I was in a relationship with _Asher_ , but my soul liked _Sans_ the entire time?” You sigh, erasing a few lines stubbornly, writing something else down instead on the list of song lyrics you’ve accumulated over the week. You were already on another song, but now with the whole multiverse bond thing, you aren’t sure what to focus on. You still have to meet up with _him_ to move the rest of his stuff.

“I thought y-you were polyamorous anyway? At least you think so, right?” She looks a bit worried, now resting her head on her own acoustic guitar which sits upright in her lap.

“Yeah, I’ve kinda figured I’ve always been. I don’t care about my partners fuckin’ other people, as long as they don’t mind me messin’ around. We’d have to be romantically involved anyway, but I didn’t bring it up to Asher because-”

“He’s racist.” She interrupts you. You raise an eyebrow.

“What? No he isn’t. He just doesn’t like Sans or Papyrus for some reason.”

“Yeah, a-and every time that m-monsters got close to you, his h-hand tightening a-around your waist wasn’t explanation enough for you.” She crosses her arms. Your eyebrows furrow. “He also g-got you to stop taking y-your medication and seeing your t-therapist. He was even a-apprehensive of bringing other people i-into the band.” Wow, you’ve never seen her this frustrated before. “And he h-hurt you! A lot!” Her voice is getting louder now. Your face pales a little.

“I mean-”

“No, you didn’t deserve it!” She stands, thankfully having a good grip on her guitar. She puts it down, approaching you and taking your hands, making you drop the pencil. “He always treated you like shit, Y/N. He always called you names, and threatened you, and whispers stuff to you that makes you tense up! That’s not normal!” She looks at you in the eyes. “I tried to keep quiet for as long as I could, but I can only sit around for so long. You were abused, Y/N. You can deny it all you want, but it was apparent. You see the way Jackie reacts and acts around Asher, and how _you_ reacted to Asher gaslighting you at the meeting last Friday.” Her eyes are a bit glossy. You feel your cheek wet with a tear, and your phone buzzes. She sighs. “I’m sorry for bringing this all up now, how about we run through what you have so far? For the one you’ve been writing here?” She stands, going back to her seat, looking to you softly now, wiping her eyes. You wipe your own cheek, too, nodding to her.

“Y-yeah, that sounds nice..” You pull your phone out, checking who it could possibly be.

**[sansational]** : hey, blue told me that you know about the whole machine thing. well, that being said, it flipped out and there might be some new ones on the prowl. until g can get to them, make sure you watch where you’re goin’, okay? enjoy the rest of your time, princess.

Your cheeks couldn’t help but flush, sniffling a little. You text back.

**[You]** : Thanks for letting me know. I’ll have fun and stay safe, thanks. <3

You put your phone down, and Marceline’s smiling a little.

“Sans?” She asks. You nod.

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s run through this shit. Uh, from the first verse to ‘don’t act like you’re so tough’.” You pick up your guitar, strumming it a few times to make sure the strings are in tune. She does the same. You pat your guitar a few times.

And from there, you and Marceline worked. You talked about what Marceline’s been up to, how your classes are going, how work was, and when you did, you slowly started talking about the boys again. Your chest burned with resonance, a smile coming to your face as you talk about your favorite skeletons.

Sans is so relaxed and patient with you, helping you through everything and even offering you a place to stay. He deals with the crazy, and basically kickstarted you to everything you got to now. He taught you a whole Hell of a lot about monsters in the past, and trusted you with his friends and family, and that took one Hell of a long time. Papyrus, sweet and intelligent, more than anyone ever believes. Yeah, he’s a soft muffin like Blue, but his cooking skills are… unmatched, let’s say. You giggle at the memory of tasting his glittering spaghetti for the first time, and when you came over and cooked with both Blue and Papyrus and had to keep them from making dinner inedible. The way everyone was so quick to protect you when you got that text, ready to be by your side and defend you.

Blue was absolutely adorable. He was the first one to help you unpack when you moved in to the Lodge. His passion for everything he does is something that’s immeasurable and incompatible. His love and care for his brother, and promise to keep your location a secret means the world to you. He’s a lot to get used to, yeah, but you can’t help but get as excited as he does. He’s like a puppy. Stretch is sickeningly sweet, back when he came over to this very house to help protect you against Asher and the cops, listening to you play, watching you with adoration. When he first called you hunny bee, riding on your motorbike down to the Lodge after the whole fiasco. Being concerned about you with the whole thing and promising to give Asher a bad time (because you know exactly what that means). Also, having him help with your songwriting was awesome, because he’s a writer, too.

Mutt helping you from and to work and school, hiding away in the shadows just to make sure that nothing or anyone was there to disturb you, especially not after that Asher thing. You didn’t notice it before, but your body shivered at the thought of his angry magic. His loyalty to his brother was also something to come by, seeing him follow his brother’s every order while also obediently being by your side as well, knowing that he was one of the first ones to look for you after Axe whisked you away. Black when he took you on that surprise date, treating you to coffee and a new wardrobe full of pleather and lace, skin forming clothing but enough to let yourself breathe. The walk through the park and just generally enjoying each other’s company. Yeah, Pet wasn’t the most ideal nickname, but he did really care about you, even asking for a second date and seeing the excitement in his eyes was adorable, Black reminding you of an aggressive Blue.

Red, flirty and straightforward, getting a feel of you any time he walked by, and thank the stars for your self control or you would have broken your hand punching the Hell out of his damn empty skull. Trying to get you drunk off of your mind like you didn’t know what monster alcohol was. Trying to protect you from Edge, also always obediently by his brother’s side, even if they bicker a lot, you can see Red really cares about him. You mean, if they just come from a different, you can assume more edgy universe, Red made Edge’s battle body. Edge, of course, the one who literally payed you no mind the very first day, then threatened you, only to be taken aback when you stood your ground. You can remember now what you recognize as surprise in his empty, angry sockets. It took a minute for you to actually give a damn about him, because everyone could obviously tell the tension between you two, but in reality? This guy was a damn tsundere. You fell asleep _on his lap_ after singing to him because he said he wouldn’t mind if you sang more!

Axe was silent a majority of the time, yes, but when he did speak, he spoke with adoration. He spoke with love and when he fed you, he seemed really happy. He didn’t seem all that comfortable around Dust most of the time, which you really needed to talk to him about, but he seemed content when he was around you. And going out of his way to help you bring your stuff from the Lodge, and watch to make sure no one disturbs your little stay-cay, as Dusty called it. Crooks, an amazing fucking chef you mean holy stars how does he do it. The stew was absolutely fucking amazing, nothing like Papyrus, Edge, or Blue. Axe and Crooks seemed pleased to see you like their cooking, Crooks seeming pleased that Axe was as well with taking care of you. You need to start thinking of that payback for Axe.

Dusty is very flirting. But he definitely cares, taking your midnight call this previous Sunday and offering to keep the door open when the boys at the Lodge got crazy, because at least the trio in the other cabin (in which, during the never have I ever session, the gang had dubbed ‘The Murder House’, which earned them all two shots each because they saw how upset it made you) was a Hell of a lot more tolerable. G was amazing, too, helping you out of the sticky situation when none of the boys could find you, because apparently Dust found another abandoned cabin because he didn’t like the fact that G was always checking up on them more than the others and checking his LV all the time. You understand, though.

As you ramble about your boys to Marceline, you couldn’t help but notice the warm pull at your chest, your eyes closed as you reminisce about the boys you lived with and care about. Your chest burns with love and desire and passion, a familiar seafoam green glow filling the room, Marceline gasping a little.

“Y-Y/N! What in the world is that!” Marceline squeaks, you opening your eyes a little. You can’t help but blush, your phone pinging again after a few silent moments. There it is again, bobbing up and down happily and calmly, light bright as ever and you swear you see something beneath the surface. When did you start crying? “Hey, are you okay?” You quickly nod.

“Y-yeah, sorry. That’s my soul.” You sniffle, rubbing your eyes with your sleeves. “Remember when I told you about Saturday night? When my soul came out? Well, yeah, here it is. Don’t know why it’s out, though.” Your phone pings again. You pick it up, two notifications on your lock screen.

_New Message_  
**[sansational]** : hey princess, you okay? the bond makes me feel a little bit of you if it’s strong enough, and a few of us just got a wave of ya from all the way from wherever you are.

_New Message_  
**[Axe]** : are you okay? felt you in my soul.

You quickly text them back the situation, reassuring them that you’re okay and you’re not in danger or anything. You sigh, your stomach rumbling. You check the time, 8:47pm.

“Sorry, hold on.” You reach for it, slowly and gently cupping around it, coaxing it back into your chest, sighing when you feel the fullness you felt when you first pushed it back into you. Marceline’s still in awe.

“Are you okay? Did it hurt?” She’s suddenly flying questions at you. You giggle a little.

“I’m fine, no it didn’t hurt, yes it went the same way as last time, I’m just hungry now. I can ride over to the 7/11 on South Avenue and pick us up some snacks?” You put your guitar back into its case, and Marceline nods.

“Sure, just be careful, I know S.A. can get pretty packed during Friday nights. Can you try and pick up some boba, too? I know it’s open right next to the 7/11. Matcha, please.” She gently asks, trying to hand you a 20, but you shake your head.

“Nah, let me take care of it, girly. I’ll be back.” You nod to her, and she smiles back, you going off to hop onto your bike and ride over to South.

As she said, it’s busy, and you head into the boba shop. After picking that up, you’re silently glad that you conveniently installed that cup holder. You can’t help but shake off the feeling that that dude in the camo green trenchcoat feels familiar, and that someone’s gaze has been fixated on you ever since you arrived. You knew Axe was there, though, right? … Right? You sigh, messing with the phone in your sweatshirt pocket, walking through the busy street. You hear footsteps behind you, but that’s normal. You walk past an alleyway, open and damp, and suddenly someone grabs you from behind and places a hand over your mouth before you can scream, your body instantly thrashing to get out of your assailants arms.

“Shh, shh, relax, it’s me. It’s just me, babe.” Asher’s sickeningly sweet voice whispers into your ear, making you shiver with disgust. You hated whatever he was doing. You continue your struggles, but you can feel the pass of a familiar blade that suddenly made you stop. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Just stay silent, take my hand-”

“ _say, pal, why don’t we let the looker go, huh? not too polite to toss a young lady around. only out for a night on the town._ ” A familiar voice pulls you from your fear. You try to look to the side, but Asher’s grip is tight. You hate the smell of his skin. He smells like alcohol.

“Get away from me, you fucking freak!” He shrieks, holding you close. From his distraction, you lift a foot up, and you smash it right into his crotch, causing him to yell out on pain, dropping you as you quickly run to the voice. “Fucking whore!” He yells, Sans’ warning about the new skeleton heeding in your head, but you don’t care. You wanted as far from Asher as possible. The new, now you notice wide and very tall skeleton grips onto your waist. You look up to him, his red eyelights focused on Asher. His clothes feel expensive on you, and you can feel something hard on his hip-bone. Not like the bone you usually felt, it felt… cold. “Get away from her! Let her go!”

“nah, not likely. why don’t you make tracks, huh? scarin’ th’ poor dame half’ta death.” His eyelight flickers, now noticing their naturally red color, exactly like Red’s. “or you’re gonna have a bad time.” He chuckles. You notice that his voice is much deeper than Sans’, something closer to Red. Wow, you’re making a lot of connections though. But, telling by his accent, his universe must be a little.. Old. He definitely talks a bit outdated.

“Whatever! You’re gonna burn in Hell for being a monster fucker, Y/N!” Asher’s still gripping his crotch, hobbling off. You sigh, looking up to your rescuer.

“Thanks, I-”

“don’ mention it, dollface.” Oh wow. Oh wow. You like how that sounds. In that voice. In that saccharine, baritone whisper. “heh. jus’ in time, huh?” He releases his grip a bit on you. You can see him completely now, almost like the entire alley was dark until Asher left. He is much taller than you. Wide, too, like Dust and Axe. He’s sporting dress pants, leather dress shoes, black button-up with the sleeves rolled up to reveal his thick and scarred ulna and radius. He’s also sporting a red vest and red tie, a thick jacket with a fur-lined hood over his shoulders. He’s smirking, a golden tooth glittering in the moonlight. “somethin’ catch yer eye, doll?” He murmurs to you, his hand getting suspiciously lower as you smack his hand away, self control be damned. You back up a bit as he chuckles, his large stomach…? Bouncing a bit as he does. You can notice a big crack down the side of his skull, running through his eyesocket and ending right on his cheekbone. “don’ worry ‘bout that, old as time.” He gestures to his scar, and you sigh.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m Y/N. I’m assuming you’re new around here? Probably just randomly appeared?” You readjust the bags or food and boba in your hands, thankfully untouched and still with you, almost forgetting about it. “Sorry I just had to rope you in my business, by the way.” He shrugs.

“yeah, i am. and don’ mention it, always a pleasure to help such a gal as yerself.” He winks. Looking down to his scarred hands you couldn’t see before, he’s also sporting lots of large golden rings. “wanna help a fellow out here? ‘m sans, sans th’ skeleton.” He holds a hand out. You fit one of the drinks in your bag, still closed and you reach for his hand, but he smoothly flips it over and presses his teeth to the back of it, making your cheeks burn up.

“I know. I have a pretty good feeling on why you’re here.” You nod affirmingly, taking your hand back gently.

“do ya now?” He looks down at you suspiciously. Wow it’s easy to lose track of how enormous he is when you forget he isn’t from this universe and looks exactly like Red.

“I know about the entire multiverse thing, and that you just got here. Sans the original texted me, the one from this universe, or timeline, or whatever vocab word floats your boat.” You shrug. He looks confused. You sigh. “I’m not too well versed on the whole thing, but I can already tell that your universe was rough. And that you’re possibly not from this time? Like seriously, the last time I heard the slang ‘looker’ was from my history class during my freshman year of college. ‘Whatever floats your boat’ means, like, whatever makes you happy, go with it. So yeah, don’t need to be too stingy around me and stuff, I know _your_ name is Sans, and you’re probably here with your brother Papyrus, right? Well, you’re not the first ones to arrive, so you’re gonna need a nickname.” You look up to him. Your cheeks burn even more now. “Shit, sorry, I’m rambling-”

“nah, nah, ’s cute. but yeah, you’re right ‘bout all that. guessin’ you’ve been told ‘bout-”

“The machine, yeah. Blue told me, you’ll meet him. He’s kind of a lot, so please be patient with him? Kinda jumpy and energetic. Uh, can I ask where Papyrus is? I wanna say _yours_ , but you know, that’s kinda weird. You came with one, right?” You raise an eyebrow.

“’s there a choice in this matter? don’t take too kindly on bein’ ordered around, doll, usually the one makin’ ‘em.” He places his hands into his pants pocket, avoiding the question, seeing him lift his head up to make himself even more imposing. Wow he’s sexy. You gotta say it.

“There’s this dude named G who takes cares of the others not living in the bigger Lodge with the main eight I’m staying with right now, and he’s looking for you and your brother. Unless you’re the type who’s like Mutt, you’ll meet him too, and you’re a ‘won’t be found unless he wants to be’, then you’re out of luck and gonna be stuck running until he finds you, I suppose. I don’t know how fond you are on wandering in a world you’re not familiar with.” You shrug. Your phone pings, vibrating in your pocket, making him flinch a bit. “Can I get a nickname for you? I know too many Sanses to call you Sans.”

“hmm, trigger. you can call me trigger, dollface. what’s that up in ya pocket?” He, now Trigger, gestures to your phone. You pull it out, seeing a text from Marceline you don’t read. He still seems confused. “say, what year is it?”

“2021?” You raise an eyebrow. For a second he looks mortified, then intrigued, then a bit cautious. “Why, when did _you_ come from, Mr. Trigger?”

“heh, 30’s.” He chuckles, making your eyes widen.

“Like, the 1930’s?” You laugh a bit as place your phone back into your pocket.

“yep. 1936, to be precise. seems like i’ve hopped a little too far than i imagined.” he shrugs.

“I’m really sorry about all of this. So, do you wanna meet everyone now? I can get G to come get you and your brother if you want, unless you wanna cause some of your own mischief. Just don’t get into too much trouble.” You smile gently. My roommate is probably worried about where I am right now, I was actually out to get some food for us and then that thing happened.” He raises a brow bone in question.

“who was that, anyway?” He dodges your question again.

“My ex. We broke up almost two weeks ago, and he’s trying to get back together with me. I blocked his number and he ran off with the girl he cheated on me with, it’s a whole thing.” You shrug, trying to brush off that still open wound. Trigger looks a bit angrier now, red fog seeping out a bit from his socket. Okay, that’s new.

“ex, huh? don’t appreciate young ‘n’ dumb ones goin’ after somethin’ that don’t want ‘em. need someone to, uh, take ‘im out?” His grin widens. You quickly shake your head.

“No, it’s okay. I can handle it on my own, the guys back at the Lodge are pretty adamant on protecting me all the time from him, so I’ll be fine.” You shrug. “Gonna ask again, want me to call up G? Not too sure if I trust you on letting me handle Asher.” You’re smirking now, looking up to him.

“asher? that crumb i just scared off?” Trigger gestures to the end of the alley. You nod reluctantly.

“Yeah. We had this whole thing with the police and him storming out and now I’m looking for a new place which I’m not sure if I’m just gonna stay at the Lodge or not? It’s a complicated situation.” Your phone is ringing now, sighing. “Sorry, give me a second.” You set the other drink in your bag, thanking to the stars above it’s sturdy. Trigger is patient, thankfully, you answering your phone. “Hello?”

“ _Y/N, where are you? It’s been, like, twenty minutes. Is everything okay?_ ” Marceline speaks into the phone.

“Yeah, everything’s fine, just ran into someone.”

“ _Who?_ ” Marceline speaks sharply, almost accusing. You’re reluctant to say, but give in.

“Asher. He brought me into an alley and he tried to threaten me with a knife. Someone intervened, though, and I was just speaking to them. Sorry.” You speak quickly and quietly. 

“ _What?! Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Do I need to come and get you?!_ ” Marceline starts speaking through the phone, you holding it away a little. You groan in embarrassment, looking to Trigger, who’s amused now.

“Marcy, I’m fine. I’m coming home soon, okay? No injuries, just met some of Sans’ family and we introduced ourselves and we got caught up. Okay?” You speak calmly through the phone, more than Marceline is. She sighs.

“ _Okay. I’ll see you soon._ ” You say your goodbyes, putting your phone into your pocket.

“Sorry about that, guess I should be getting home now.” You look to him apologetically, and he shakes his head.

“not a problem, doll. why don’t you ring up that ‘g’ guy, and i’ll see what’s hangin’, and you go on back to ya cave. why don’t i walk ya to ya tin can? or are ya walkin’?” Trigger approaches you, holding out his arm as an offer, and you slide your free arm through it.

“Sure- hey! I can carry that!” You whine as Trigger takes your bag, holding it away from you.

“ah-ah-ah, i got it, doll. let me be a gentleman. dame like you shouldn’t be out at night by ‘erself anyway. i’ll give it back when we get there.” He winks. You roll your eyes.

“Fine. By the way, I drive a motorbike, not a ‘tin can’.” You correct him. He chuckles a bit.

“still carryin’ ya stuff for ya. now, let’s take off now, huh? don’t wanna keep ya roomie in waitin’.” Trigger lets you lead, and you nod, walking off to where you parked. After a while, he speaks. “so, what keeps you busy? what do you do for a living?”

“I’m in college right now, I’m also in a band with my roommate Marceline. I’m the lead singer, so I kinda write everything and Marceline helps me if I need anything.” You nod as you approach your bike, to which your brows furrow. “What the fuck, get away from my bike, you fucking douche!” You release your arm from Trigger’s, seeing your bike in the distance with Asher kneeling next to your bike, coincidentally with no one around. He quickly stands, seeing Trigger next to you, and bails. You can’t help it, because you guess your patience has run thin today, trying to run after him, but not until someone grabs your wrist. You look back to see Trigger, and oh holy fucking christ on a fucking stick that is huge. Behind him, a dog-dragon hybrid skull is over Trigger’s head, and the sight of it makes even _you_ take a step back. Its eyelights are glowing a bright red in its sockets, a bright red light coming from its maw. “Trigger, put that thing away! You could get in trouble! It’s illegal for monsters to use magic in self defense unless the human throws the first punch.” Your eyes move to the skull above Trigger, who’s left eyelight is flaming red, the other one out completely. He sighs, his eyelights returning to normal and the skull disappearing. You sigh. “You can let go of me now, Trig, I’m fine.” You shake your hand gently, to where he’s still gripping. That’ll leave a bruise. He realizes his hand, slowly and reluctantly letting go.

“sorry, dollface. instinct to protect a dame, ya know? didn’t mean t’scare ya.” Red sweat begins to drool down his skull. You shake your head.

“It’s fine. Let’s go assess the damage and then I’ll call G, okay?” You smile over to him. He nods, and you swear you see a faint red blush on his cheekbones, turning to go over to your bike. You can see both of your tires are flat, your smile quickly turning to a frown. There are scratches against the sleek black surface.

“y’know, doll, he’s makin’ it real hard to let ‘im go and not look for his ass.” Trig grumbles behind you. “also, where’d the nickname of the nickname come from?” You can hear the smirk dripping from him, and you roll your eyes.

“Came naturally. One of the boys’ nicknames is Dusty and I call him Dust, another named Crooks and I call him C.” You shrug, standing up and facing him now. His arms are crossed, and the moonlight finally lets you see him clearer now. His bones are thick, a lot thicker than the others. Scarred and nicked, your eyes can’t help but wander. You quickly snap yourself out of it. “L-let me call G…” You quickly pull your phone out, dialing G’s number.

“ _Hello, Angel._ ” G speaks with his smooth voice into the phone. It still gets you sometimes.

“Hey, Sans texted me to be on the prowl for a new skeleton, turns out I ran into just the guy you’re looking for.” You smile up at him. He grins back, wiggling his eyebrow bones, making you snort softly.

“ _Really now? Might I ask where you are?_ ” You can hear him get up.

“Yeah. You know where South Avenue is? Down by the barber shop. Might not like the sight, though, so can you just not say anything about it when you get here?” You speak a bit quieter now, your hands grabbing onto the end of your sweatshirt.

“ _Odd request, but fine. I’ll be there-_ ”

“Now.” You feel someone grab onto your shoulder, and you squeak, jumping to Trigger for some sort of protection, and you hear the two men laughing. You turn to G, pouting, flushed and embarrassed now. You try to move away from Trig, but his arm’s found its way around your waist, holding you close.

“Stars, G, don’t do that to me!” You groan, feeling the vibration of Trig’s body from his laughing against your back.

“Am I to assume this is who you stumbled upon, Angel?” G tilts his head a little, his head tilted upward to look at Trig. You nod.

“This is Trigger. He’s from the 30’s, so he might use wonky slang.” You nod.

“wonky? the hell’s that supposed to mean?” He looks down at you, you turning your head all the way up to look at him.

“Like, silly. Out of the ordinary.” You stick your tongue out at him. He grins.

“careful, doll, you’re stepping into dangerous territory with that thing.” You can feel the deep rumble in his chest, making you even more flustered.

“Meanies. Meanies, the two of you. I am absolutely flabbergasted by this slander.” You hold a hand on your forehead dramatically. You hear G chuckle.

“’Meanies’, how childish.” You look to him to see his eyelights roll, looking down to your damaged bike. His eyebrow bone lifts in question.

“Yeah I know, it’s bad.” You sigh, looking down to see the keyed metal again. That’s gonna be at least five thousand, maybe ten.

“Obscene writing for such a lowlife creature, whoever did this. Asher, I assume?” He looks up to you.

“How’d you know?”

“Wild guess, Angel. I’ll take you home once I get this one to the Lodge so we can get him settled and everything. I assume you don’t have a Papyrus to match with you? Wouldn’t be the first.” G assesses Trig behind you, and you look to him questioningly. He can’t avoid the question him now.

“got my older bro and my dad, yeah. what’s it matter to ya?” Trig crosses his arms. Your eyebrows furrow.

“It matters so he doesn’t have to go searching for them, which is what I’ll assume he will, if you were so quick to pull out your Gaster Blaster, who knows what _they’ll_ do in an unknown place a hundred years aged than what they’re used to.” You cross your arms back. His red eyelights look down to you.

“He did what? Why?” You hear G spit behind you, and you turn to him. You explain what happened, and he looks more and more uncomposed than he was five seconds ago. “While I don’t blame him, I’m afraid she’s right. On the surface on this timeline in this town, the law states that-”

“can’t use my blasters on a punch of fuckin’ abercrombie’s. got it.” Trig grumbles behind you.

“Okay, before you two start arguing, how about you go do what you need to? I’m sure my roommate is worried by now and already on her way here to look for me, and if she’s not I’ll call her and get her to pick me up. I’ll stick it to the busier parts of town to make sure he can’t ‘nab me. Alright? Trig, can I have my food back now?” You turn to him, holding your hand out. He reluctantly returns it.

“Fine. Stay safe, if I hear another thing happens to you, I’m sure ‘Trig’ here won’t be the only one searching for him.” G eyes you. You nod.

“Right. Thanks again, G.” You smile to him. He returns it.

“No problem at all, Angel.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAA NEW SKELETON NEW SKELETON!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! i couldn't help it, i know we got new skeletons only two/three chapters ago but i couldn't help it. there are a lot of stories out there that dump a bunch on you at once, and i'm trying to take my time, i really am, but with me reading more mafiatale/mafiafell stories, i could barely contain myself.
> 
> welcome:  
> MafiaFell Sans - Trigger
> 
> slang used in this chapter:  
> looker - attractive young woman  
> make tracks - to leave  
> crumb - a fool in society standards  
> cave - apartment or house  
> dame - a woman  
> abercrombie - a know-it-all
> 
> trigger is inspired by Sooner Or Later You're Gonna Be Mine by staringback. no one else. just them. i love them too much and i've never seen a mafiatale or mobtale of any sort be introduced in a polyam fic as permanent polyam members. also i promise you'll get mafiafell papyrus soon, and maybe someone else.
> 
> updates when i can! :3


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